Mooney M20M accident near Madisonville, Kentucky, May 17, 1997
On May 17, 1997 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Mooney M20M, registered N321JL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Madisonville, Kentucky (Madisonville Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, and inadequate supervision of the CFI, which resulted in a stall and subsequent hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 1997 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Madisonville, Kentucky · Madisonville Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20M · all M20Ms on the register
- Registration
- N321JL · registry record · serial 27-0162
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner was receiving instruction from a certificated flight instructor (CFI), and was practicing short field landings. They had completed one short field landing successfully using a final approach speed of 75 knots. The owner said the CFI told him on the second approach to use 70 knots, as published in a revised pilot operating handbook. During this approach the airplane landed hard, 30 feet short of the runway.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,811 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 383 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 13, 1996; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,368 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AF1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2I0 KY at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:10 pm from 2I0
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.