Mooney M20 accident near Malmo, Minnesota, January 15, 1989
On January 15, 1989 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20, registered N4096H, was destroyed in an accident near Malmo, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADVERTENT VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), WHICH RESULTED IN HIS LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL, DUE SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. A RELATED FACTOR TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 1989 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Malmo, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20 · all M20s on the register
- Registration
- N4096H · no longer on the register · serial 2500415
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT INADVERTENTLY ENTERED INSTRUMENT FLIGHT CONDITIONS AND EXPERIENCED WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT & IT CRASHED ON A FROZEN LAKE.
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: 717 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 717 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,252 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 23, 1988; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FCM Eden Prairie MN at 8:00 pm
- Destination: BRD Brainard MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 pm from BRD, 40 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.