Mooney M20J accident near Kirksville, Missouri, November 18, 1984
On November 18, 1984 at about 3:45 am local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N3955H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kirksville, Missouri (Kirksville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- November 18, 1984 · about 3:45 am local time
- Place
- Kirksville, Missouri · Kirksville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N3955H · no longer on the register · serial 24-0992
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, DURING A LOCALIZER APCH IMPACT WITH AN OBJECT WAS HEARD AND THE ACFT YAWED LEFT. THE PLT DID NOT SEE WHAT THE ACFT HIT BUT STATED THAT HE BELIEVED THE ACFT STRUCK A BIRD. USING A FLASHLIGHT HE ATTEMPTED TO INSPECT THEACFT IN ORDER TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE. WHILE LOOKING OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT, THE PLT FAILED TO MAINTAIN THE PROPER ALT AND DESCENDED COLLIDING WITH A TREE. AFTER FLYING INTO THE TREE THE PLT CONTINUED THE APCH AND LANDED SAFELY.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,395 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 334 in the last 90 days; 15,260 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 601 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 1984; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7V5 Brush CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 6,004 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:45 am from IRK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.