Ownership guide
Mooney M20R Ovation
401 registered in the US, built from about 1994 to 2015, 2 seats, most with the Continental IO-550. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 401
- Built
- 1994 to 2015
- Half built by
- 2002
- Seats
- 2
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Continental IO-550
Engines installed
- Continental IO-550390 aircraft (97%) · 23 ADs, 4 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
8 current ADs name the M20R airframe, 1 with a repeat action; 1 more were superseded. Its engines carry 23 more. 7 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
1 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Reciprocating Engine Oil System1
Parts reported most
- Oil cooler, damaged1
The latest reports
2017-08-09 · Reciprocating Engine Oil System · Oil cooler, damaged
During an annual inspection, minor evidence of fretting from vibration was seen at oil cooler crossbar lower aft corner. further inspection revealed a cracked weld on the upper rt fwd corner that was 1 inch long. removed the oil cooler for inspection. the termination of the weld bead was left concave which resulted in a tension stress area upon cooling. the opposite weld corner had been left w
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, 6 fatal (8 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 3 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control in flight5
- Loss of engine power (total)3
- Fuel starvation2
- Hard landing2
- Runway excursion2
- Loss of control on ground2
Phase of flight
- Landing11
- Enroute5
- Approach3
- Initial climb3
- Takeoff1
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-09 | New port richey, FL | Approach: Fuel starvation | None | ERA25LA273 |
| 2025-03-10 | Velika planina, OF | Enroute: Unknown or undetermined | Fatal | GAA25WA113 |
| 2024-02-25 | Eschbach | Landing: Hard landing | None | GAA24WA111 |
| 2023-07-26 | Chattanooga, TN | Landing: Collision during takeoff/land | Serious | ERA23LA314 |
| 2023-06-25 | Southport, NC | Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total) | Fatal | ERA23FA273 |
| 2023-06-17 | Toledo | Takeoff: Loss of control in flight | None | GAA23WA168 |
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 reciprocating engine oil system and for damaged oil coolers: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 7 equipment ADs name the M20R (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 M20Rs are registered in the US?
- 401, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Mooney M20R built?
- From about 1994 to 2015. Half of those registered today were built by 2002.
- What engine does the Mooney M20R have?
- Most have the Continental IO-550 (97% of those registered).
- What are common problems with the Mooney M20R?
- In 1 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were reciprocating engine oil system, and the part most often reported was a damaged oil cooler.
- How many accidents has the Mooney M20R had?
- 24 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 6 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 M20R have?
- 8 current ADs name the M20R airframe, 1 of them with a repeat action, and 23 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.