Mooney M20E accident near Glasgow, Montana, January 19, 2002
On January 19, 2002 at about 10:20 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N38AJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glasgow, Montana (Wokal Field/Glasgow Intnl). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate flying airspeed resulting in a stall/mush condition and loss of control at low altitude. A contributing factor was the pilot's distraction from flying the aircraft while attempting to retract the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 2002 · about 10:20 pm local time · cases in 2002
- Place
- Glasgow, Montana · Wokal Field/Glasgow Intnl · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N38AJ · registry record · serial 776
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot initiated his takeoff on runway 12 in the Mooney M20E and rotated at 60-65 MPH. He then raised the manually operated landing gear but had difficulty securing the gear retraction handle in the down (gear up and locked) position. During this event he became distracted with securing the gear in the up and locked position and the aircraft transitioned to a nose high and slow airspeed condition. A witness observed the aircraft reaching no more than 40-50 feet in altitude and rolling left. The pilot recognized this condition and pitched the nose down to increase airspeed. The aircraft impacted off the left side of the runway with its right wing, skidding across the runway and coming to rest on the south side of the runway; and the right wing displayed aft and upward bending with 45 degree scratch markings on its underside. Post crash examination revealed the gear retracted but not in the up and locked position. Wings level stall speed for a takeoff flap setting (15 degrees) in the M20E was documented in the Owner's Manual as 64 MPH.
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: 598 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 506 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 20, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GGW Glasgow MT at 10:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 5,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.51 inHg
- Observation at 10:33 pm from GGW
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.
Other NTSB records under N38AJ the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N38AJ 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: Lycoming IO-360-A1A 196 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Wokal Fld/Glasgow-Valley County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,119 since 1982 · 164 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,044 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N38AJ 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA02LA031.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.