Mooney M20F accident near Benton, Kansas, September 18, 1983
On September 18, 1983 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N7413V, was destroyed in an accident near Benton, Kansas (Benton airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1983 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Benton, Kansas · Benton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7413V · no longer on the register · serial 22-1206
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS USING RWY 34 WITH THE WINDS 190 DEGREES AT 14 KTS GUSTING 20 KTS. THE ACFT LIFTED OFF TO ABOUT 10 FT AND MUSHED BACK TO THE GROUND. THE ACFT CROSSED A DITCH AND A ROOD AND CONTACTED A 2ND DITCH WHICH KNOCKED OFF ITS RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 253 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 142 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,116 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 18, 1983; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Benton Airport, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,600 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from ICT, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.