Mooney M20F accident near Mound City, Kansas, August 13, 1989
On August 13, 1989 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N6960V, was destroyed in an accident near Mound City, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS & HEAVY RAIN WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 1989 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mound City, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6960V · no longer on the register · serial 22-1327
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIC HAD OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING AND WAS ADVISED OF WIDELY SCATTERED STORM ACTIVITY EXISTING ALONG THE ROUTE. THE ACFT WAS OBSRVD IN THE VICINITY OF MOUND CITY AROUND 1400. WITNESSES HAD OBSRVD A RAPIDLY BUILDING STORM CELL SOUTHWEST THAT WAS MOVING NORTHEAST. THE STORM CELL DUMPED HUGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN IN A SHORT PERIOD, WITH THE ACFT HEARD TO BE FLYING IN THE VICINITY DURING THE HEAVIEST EVENT OF THE STORM. THE SOUND OF AN ENG REV-UP WAS FOLLOWED BY THE SOUND OF AN IMPACT. THE STORM CELL WAS NOT OBSRVD ON RADAR, BUT IT WAS OBSRVD TO BE OF SUCH SIZE AS TO ALLOW FOR CIRCUMNAVIATION.
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
- Flight time: 1,147 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,147 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,807 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 10, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T12 Kirbyville TX at 2:00 pm
- Destination: STJ St. Joseph MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.