Mooney M-20 accident near S. Charleston, West Virginia, January 26, 2001
On January 26, 2001 at about 3:53 pm local time, a Mooney M-20, registered N9558M, was substantially damaged in an accident near S. Charleston, West Virginia (Mallory airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain runway alignment during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 26, 2001 · about 3:53 pm local time
- Place
- S. Charleston, West Virginia · Mallory · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M-20 · all M-20s on the register
- Registration
- N9558M · no longer on the register · serial 670135
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot arrived at the airport, and serviced the airplane with 10 gallons of fuel. He started the engine, checked all the gauges, found no anomalies, and departed. During the flight, the pilot preformed several touch-and-goes at several different airports before proceeding to his planned destination. At his destination, the pilot maneuvered the airplane to land. Once on final, the pilot selected approach flaps, but they did not extend. With the throttle completely retarded, the pilot started executing "S" turns to maintain a proper descent rate. On short final, the pilot noticed that the airplane was right of the runway so he turned left, and then started a flare to land. The airplane touched down and went off the runway to the left. It then hit a hangar and parked airplane about 500 feet from the approach end of the runway before coming to an stop. Continuity of the flaps system could not be verified because of impact damage.
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: 625 hours in all; 371 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 595 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 10, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,633.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 2000; 19.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SXL Sommersville WV at 2:30 pm
- Destination: WV12 S. Charleston WV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 2,000 ft by 24 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from CRW, 46 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.