Mooney M20E accident near Ronan, Montana, June 29, 1995
On June 29, 1995 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N9273M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ronan, Montana (Wayne Baer Private airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS NOT MAINTAINED. FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT WERE A ROUGH/UNEVEN AIRSTRIP AND TALL VEGETATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 1995 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ronan, Montana · Wayne Baer Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N9273M · no longer on the register · serial 1212
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE TAKEOFF GROUND ROLL ON A ROUGH AND UNEVEN AIRSTRIP, THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED, BECAME AIRBORNE AND TURNED SIDEWAYS AS THE LEFT WING TIP CAUGHT IN TALL GRASS NEXT TO THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT ABORTED THE TAKEOFF AND REDUCED POWER TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH TREES. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A DITCH AND SPUN AROUND 90 DEGREES TO THE ORIGINAL DIRECTION OF TRAVEL.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,748 hours in all; 131 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,781 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 29, 1995; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 3U3 Anaconda MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,600 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N9273M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.