Ownership guide
Mooney M20M
248 registered in the US, built from about 1989 to 2005, 4 seats, most with the Lycoming TIO-540. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 248
- Built
- 1989 to 2005
- Half built by
- 1994
- Seats
- 4
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Lycoming TIO-540
Engines installed
- Lycoming TIO-540237 aircraft (96%) · 32 ADs, 5 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
7 current ADs name the M20M airframe, 1 with a repeat action; 1 more were superseded. Its engines carry 32 more. 11 equipment ADs name the model.
The ones that come back
ADs with a repeat action: an inspection or replacement at an interval, for as long as the AD applies. These are the airworthiness costs an owner keeps paying.
What gets reported
2 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Instrument System Wiring1
- Spark Plug/Igniter1
Parts reported most
- Connector, burned1
- Spark plug, cracked1
The latest reports
2026-07-30 · Spark Plug/Igniter · Spark plug, cracked
Spark plugs, tempest: upon removal, 4 of the 12 spark plugs, found to have circumferential cracks in steel shell, located in reduced all hot crimp (swage) section between the mounting gasket seat & wrenching hex. cracks are jagged & irregular, extend around a majority of the shell circumference, & are visually distinct from the normal machined step and factory heating band in this area. shell mark
2017-12-14 · Instrument System Wiring · Connector, burned
Aircraft came in for annual inspection with pilot-reported discrepancy of avionics fan circuit breaker intermittent tripping and #2 alternator intermittent fault light. during preliminary systems check it was discovered that the avionics fan circuit breaker would trip if the landing lights were turned on. during visual inspection of pl104a and rc104a (main circuit breaker panel disconnect, positro
From the FAA's Service Difficulty Reporting System, refreshed monthly. Counts of what was reported, not failure rates: most of general aviation reports voluntarily, and a busy training fleet reports more than a private one.
Accident record
24 accidents since 2008, 8 fatal (12 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 2 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control in flight5
- Loss of engine power (total)4
- Loss of control on ground3
- Miscellaneous/other3
- Hard landing2
- Landing gear not configured1
Phase of flight
- Landing7
- Enroute5
- Approach5
- Takeoff4
- Initial climb1
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-08 | Tallahassee, FL | Enroute: Loss of engine power (total) | Minor | ANC26LA070 |
| 2025-08-13 | Innsbruck | Landing: Landing gear not configured | None | GAA25WA241 |
| 2025-06-30 | Ben bolt, TX | Landing: Loss of control on ground | Minor | CEN25LA228 |
| 2022-04-04 | Manville, NJ | Approach: Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) | Minor | ERA22LA179 |
| 2021-11-15 | Tampa, FL | Approach: Loss of engine power (total) | None | ERA22LA064 |
| 2021-10-28 | Snoqualmie, WA | Enroute: Structural icing | Fatal | WPR22FA023 |
From the NTSB's aviation accident database, refreshed monthly; accidents only, homebuilts left out. Counts, not rates: nobody publishes how many hours each model flies, and a training fleet flies far more than a private one. Look up any case by its number in the NTSB's CAROL.
What it costs to run
Per hour flown
Per year, flown or not
- Fuel
- $0/hr
- Engine reserve
- $0/hr
- A year
- $0
- All in, per hour
- $0/hr
Everything else is yours to fill in: insurance, hangar and overhaul prices vary too much by pilot, airport and shop for a default to mean anything. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Before you buy one
- Run its N-number through the AD check: every AD that names its airframe and engine, as a checklist to take to the logbooks.
- For each repeat-action AD (1 on the airframe), find the last compliance in the logbooks and when the next one is due.
- Compare the engine's time since overhaul with its maker's published overhaul time, and look for the reason behind any long gap in flying.
- Ask the mechanic doing the pre-buy to look hard at the instrument system wiring and for burned connectors: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 11 equipment ADs name the M20M (a muffler, a seat belt, a display): find out which of that equipment is installed.
- Check the registration, the airworthiness certificate and the date of the last annual inspection.
- Work out the sales or use tax your state will charge with the aircraft tax calculator.
The rest of the M20 family
Questions
- How many Mooney M20Ms are registered in the US?
- 248, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Mooney M20M built?
- From about 1989 to 2005. Half of those registered today were built by 1994.
- What engine does the Mooney M20M have?
- Most have the Lycoming TIO-540 (96% of those registered).
- What are common problems with the Mooney M20M?
- In 2 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were instrument system wiring, spark plug/igniter, and the part most often reported was a burned connector.
- How many accidents has the Mooney M20M had?
- 24 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 8 of them fatal. The most common defining event was loss of control in flight. These are counts, not rates: how many hours the fleet flew is not published.
- How many Airworthiness Directives does the Mooney M20M have?
- 7 current ADs name the M20M airframe, 1 of them with a repeat action, and 32 more name its engines. Whether each applies to one aircraft depends on its serial number and installed equipment.
Figures from the FAA aircraft registry and the FAA's Airworthiness Directives, rebuilt daily. An AD listed for a model is one to read; whether it applies to one aircraft depends on its serial number, equipment and records.