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20260719009309I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Mooney M20J · Portage, WI · July 19, 2026

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 19, 2026 · 13:00 local
Place
Portage, WI
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Rotation
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N4122H
Reported as
Mooney M20J
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
2,112 total
N4122HRegistered now · Mooney M20JS/N 24-0645 · Built 1978Airframe modelMooney M20JEngine modelLycoming I0360 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot stated that they had spent the night in Portage C47. Osh went from VFR to IFR conditions due to heavy smoke in the air, so they spent the night in C47. They took on fuel upon arrival and with an anticipated departure the next day. Next day they accomplished preflight checks and ground run up with all parameters good, they proceeded to runway 4 for takeoff. The pilot stated about a 1/3RD of the way down the runway as he was starting to rotate, he noticed a loss in power and decided to abort the takeoff. Plane ran off the end of the runway about 30 feet into a ravine. Aircraft recovered the next day from the ravine. Damage that was noted was collapsed left gear and nose gear. One blade of the prop was bent back with some engine cowl damage, nose gear doors, minor damage to belly just aft of fire wall, and a small crease in the aft section of the left wing out board of the left landing gear. Flaps were noted as being in the full up position with no damage to aft fuselage and tail section.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATED THAT THEY HAD SPENT THE NIGHT IN PORTAGE C47. OSH WENT FROM VFR TO IFR CONDITIONS DUE TO HEAVY SMOKE IN THE AIR, SO THEY SPENT THE NIGHT IN C47. THEY TOOK ON FUEL UPON ARRIVAL AND WITH AN ANTICIPATED DEPARTURE THE NEXT DAY. NEXT DAY THEY ACCOMPLISHED PREFLIGHT CHECKS AND GROUND RUN UP WITH ALL PARAMETERS GOOD, THEY PROCEEDED TO RUNWAY 4 FOR TAKEOFF. THE PILOT STATED ABOUT A 1/3RD OF THE WAY DOWN THE RUNWAY AS HE WAS STARTING TO ROTATE, HE NOTICED A LOSS IN POWER AND DECIDED TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF. PLANE RAN OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY ABOUT 30 FEET INTO A RAVINE. AIRCRAFT RECOVERED THE NEXT DAY FROM THE RAVINE. DAMAGE THAT WAS NOTED WAS COLLAPSED LEFT GEAR AND NOSE GEAR. ONE BLADE OF THE PROP WAS BENT BACK WITH SOME ENGINE COWL DAMAGE, NOSE GEAR DOORS, MINOR DAMAGE TO BELLY JUST AFT OF FIRE WALL, AND A SMALL CREASE IN THE AFT SECTION OF THE LEFT WING OUT BOARD OF THE LEFT LANDING GEAR. FLAPS WERE NOTED AS BEING IN THE FULL UP POSITION WITH NO DAMAGE TO AFT FUSELAGE AND TAIL SECTION.