Aircraft model
MOONEY M20B
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The M20B is the first all-metal Mooney, which is the single most important thing about it. Mooney replaced the laminated wood wing spar and tail of the M20 and M20A with metal in 1961, removing the inspection burden and the water-ingress risk that hangs over every wooden-wing Mooney.
Otherwise it is the familiar short-body Mooney: 148 knots on 180 hp and nine gallons an hour, which no Cessna or Piper of the era approaches. The compromises are the family's — a narrow low cabin worn rather than sat in, a very clean airframe that floats a long way if flown fast on final, wet-wing fuel tank sealant leaks that are an expensive recurring job, and landing gear shock discs needing periodic replacement. It is the cheapest metal Mooney and a sensible entry to the type.
Compare with…
Put MOONEY M20B side by side with up to two other models.
- MOONEY M20B
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-360-A1D |
| Horsepower | 180 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1961 |
| Production end | 1962 |
| Endorsements required | complex |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 148 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 | 925 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 637 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,450 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,525 lb |
| Usable fuel | 48 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 10.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $28,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $65,000 |
| 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 | 191 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 98 |
| Median year built | 1961.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 30.61 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 10.2 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 15 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 15.31 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 4 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 98 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 98 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 98 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 5.3 of 103 |
| Support | 4.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 1.7 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.