Aircraft model
MOONEY M20R
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Mooney Ovation, the long-body airframe with a normally aspirated 280 hp Continental IO-550 rather than the Bravo's turbocharged Lycoming. It cruises at 190 knots on about 15 gallons an hour, which is remarkable efficiency for that speed, and it will fly 1,100 nautical miles. For most owners it is the better of the two because it does nearly as well without the turbocharger's heat, complexity and expense. The original Ovation of 1994 to 1999 has a three-blade propeller and conventional instruments; the Ovation2 of 2000 changed to a two-blade McCauley designed for the type, which added speed, and brought Garmin radios and a leather interior. The 2003 Ovation2 DX returned to a three-blade, and the Ovation2 GX of 2005 is the glass aeroplane with the Garmin G1000. The Ovation3, with the same engine rated at 310 hp, followed from about 2006 — so an Ovation2 and an Ovation3 differ by 30 hp and an Ovation and an Ovation2 GX by the whole panel.
It is a serious travelling aeroplane with the standing Mooney compromises. The cabin is narrow and low and you sit with your legs forward; tall rear passengers will not enjoy a long flight. The airframe is very clean, so precise airspeed on final is essential and long floats and runway overruns are the classic Mooney accident. Wet-wing fuel tank sealant leaks are a recognised and costly recurring job across the line, and landing gear shock discs need periodic replacement. Mooney's corporate history has been unstable, so parts support leans on specialists and an active owner community, which works but is worth knowing.
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- MOONEY M20R
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental IO-550-G |
| Horsepower | 280 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1994 |
| Production end | 2008 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 190 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 1,100 nm |
| Service ceiling | 20,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,200 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 | 1,138 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 604 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,368 lb |
| Empty weight | 2,230 lb |
| Usable fuel | 89 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 15.7 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $172,900 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $392,000 |
| 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 | 491 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 399 |
| Median year built | 2002.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 13 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 32.581 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 17.542 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 81 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 20.33 |
| Airworthiness directives | 9 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 399 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 399 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 399 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 6.7 of 101 |
| Severity | 2.4 of 102 |
| Access | 2.9 of 103 |
| Support | 9.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 4.9 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 26 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 25 · 181 models in class.
- Severity: class median 5.
- Access: class median 987.
- Support: class median 72.
- Liquidity: class median 20.59.
- 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.