Aircraft model
MOONEY AIRCRAFT CORP. M20S
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Mooney Eagle is the long-body airframe with the Continental IO-550 derated to 244 hp, sold as a lower-cost alternative to the 280 hp Ovation. It cruises at 175 knots on about thirteen gallons an hour with 1,000 nautical miles of range.
Derating a 310 hp engine to 244 gives it an easy life and good longevity, which is a real advantage, and the Eagle costs meaningfully less than an Ovation for about fifteen knots. For a buyer who values efficiency over outright speed it is arguably the better aeroplane. The standing Mooney compromises apply: a narrow low cabin, a very clean airframe requiring precise speed control on final, wet-wing fuel tank sealant leaks that are an expensive recurring job, and Mooney's unstable corporate history affecting factory parts support.
Compare with…
Put MOONEY AIRCRAFT CORP. M20S side by side with up to two other models.
- MOONEY AIRCRAFT CORP. M20S
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental IO-550-G |
| Horsepower | 244 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1999 |
| Production end | 2004 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 175 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 1,000 nm |
| Service ceiling | 18,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,100 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 59 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,690 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 2,000 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,168 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 634 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,368 lb |
| Empty weight | 2,200 lb |
| Usable fuel | 89 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 13.7 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $165,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $260,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,900 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $55,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $78,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 63 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 58 |
| Median year built | 1999.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 17.24 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 17.24 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 12 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 20.69 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 5 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 58 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 58 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 58 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 9.4 of 103 |
| Support | 2.7 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6.1 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 28.36 · 202 models in class.
- Severity: class median 11.65.
- Access: class median 767.75.
- Support: class median 141.5.
- Liquidity: class median 19.57.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.