Aircraft model
MOONEY M20A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The M20A is an early Mooney and one of the wooden-wing aircraft: the wing spar and the tail structure are laminated wood rather than metal. It cruises at 150 knots on 180 hp, which established the Mooney reputation for efficiency that the type has never lost.
The wooden structure is the thing that decides whether an M20A is worth buying. Wood is strong and light but rots if water gets in, and there is an airworthiness directive requiring inspection of the wooden wing and tail structure on these aircraft; a Mooney that has lived outside or leaked can have a wing that is uneconomic to repair. Hangarage is not optional and inspection requires someone who understands wooden structures. The all-metal M20B that followed removed this concern entirely and is worth seeking instead.
Compare with…
Put MOONEY M20A side by side with up to two other models.
- MOONEY M20A
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-360-A1A |
| Horsepower | 180 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1958 |
| Production end | 1960 |
| Endorsements required | complex |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 150 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 700 nm |
| Service ceiling | 17,500 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,000 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 53 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,395 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,220 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 950 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 662 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,450 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,500 lb |
| Usable fuel | 48 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 10.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $35,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $70,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $32,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $46,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 467 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 59 |
| Median year built | 1959.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 33.9 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 33.9 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 10 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 16.95 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 59 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 59 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 59 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 0.1 of 103 |
| Support | 2.8 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 2.6 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.