Mooney M20K accident near Gallipolis, Ohio, January 6, 1991
On January 6, 1991 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N231MC, was destroyed in an accident near Gallipolis, Ohio (Gallia-Meigs Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT ALLOWED THE SPEED OF THE AIRPLANE TO GET TOO SLOW, RESULTING IN AN INADVERTANT STALL AT TOO LOW AN ALTITUDE TO ALLOW RECOVERY. A FACTOR RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S TREPIDATION ABOUT A SUCCESSFUL LANDING BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 6, 1991 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gallipolis, Ohio · Gallia-Meigs Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N231MC · registry record · serial M20K25-0029
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT INFORMED PERSONNEL ON THE GROUND THAT HE HAD THE AIRPORT INSIGHT, BUT WAS STILL INBOUND ON THE NDB APPROACH. THE PILOT EXPRESSED A CONCERN ABOUT THE WEATHER AND THAT HE WAS TOO HIGH AND COULD NOT MAKE THE LANDING. A PILOT FLYING IN THE AREA AT THE TIME SAID THE CEILINGS WERE RAGGED AND AT TIMES THE VISIBILITY WAS LOW. THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED TO BE MIDIFIELD AT A LOW ALTITUDE, TURNING LEFT, LOSING ALTITUDE AND SPEED. THE AIRPLANE WAS THEN 'STALLED AND SPUN' INTO THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE SHOWED NO DISCREPANCIES WITH EITHER THE AIRFRAME OR THE ENGINE.
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: 388 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 7.5 in the last 30 days; 109 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 783 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 7, 1990; 99 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,807 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TIO-360-GB1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CAE Columbia SC at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 5, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:52 pm from HTS, 30 miles away
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.