Mooney M20K accident near Marshfield, Massachusetts, April 21, 1995
On April 21, 1995 at about 6:33 pm local time, a Mooney M20K, registered N252DX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marshfield, Massachusetts (Marshfield Municipal). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot misjudged the flare, resulting in a bounced landing and impact with the terrain. A factor in this accident was an improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 1995 · about 6:33 pm local time · cases in 1995
- Place
- Marshfield, Massachusetts · Marshfield Municipal · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20K · all M20Ks on the register
- Registration
- N252DX · registry record · serial 25-0580
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD LANDED THE AIRPLANE ON RUNWAY 6. HE STATED, 'I FLARED FOR LANDING, BUT THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED, POSSIBLY DUE TO WIND SHIFTING.' THE REPORTED WINDS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE 140 DEGREES, AT 12 KNOTS. THE PILOT ELECTED TO GO AROUND, AND APPLIED POWER TO THE ENGINE. HE STATED, 'THE ENGINE NEVER DEVELOPED TAKE-OFF POWER. IT CONTINUED TO FLY CLOSE TO THE GROUND. SINCE THE ENGINE DID NOT STOP, I DID NOT BELIEVE IT HAD FAILED.' THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PILOT TWISTED THE VERNIER THROTTLE, BUT DID NOT REACH FULL THROTTLE. THE ENGINE EXAMINATION DID NOT REVEAL ANY DISCREPANCIES. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED IN A MARSH, NEAR THE RUNWAY.
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: 390 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 342 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,650 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 6, 1995; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-MB4B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PNE Philadelphia PA at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 6, 2,999 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N252DX on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Mooney M-20 6,245 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Mooney 5,394 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-MB4B 1,907 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Northeast Philadelphia Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Massachusetts 987 since 1982 · 90 in the last ten years
- Massachusetts 2,646 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/NYC95LA091.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.