Mooney Bravo with TKS...$120,000

[Parker_Woodruff]

This is by far the most discounted airplane I've seen in this market.

1991 Mooney TLS Bravo

It wouldn't work in my training operation, but would be so tempting to finance when I was thinking about getting the Mooney for personal use.

 

First one with TKS that I've seen away from $200,000 in quite a while!

[mooniac58]

Wow, that is an impressive price!

[KSMooniac]

Always a story behind the low price. 

FTW97LA357

On September 20, 1997, at 1053 mountain daylight time, a Mooney M20M, N9140Z, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain while landing at Broomfield, Colorado. The private pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan had been filed for the personal flight conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Tulsa, Oklahoma, at 0845 central daylight time.

The following is based on a telephone interview with the pilot, and his accident report. The pilot said his approach speed was between 80 and 90 knots and he used full flaps, then deployed the speed brake. "Ground effect floated us to the point that airspeed was too slow," he wrote. The airplane landed approximately 2,500 feet down runway 11L. The pilot said the airplane "bounced on the main gear two times." The pilot applied full power to abort the landing. The airplane stalled, landed on the nose gear, and veered left off the runway at taxiway A-13 before coming to a halt facing south.

According to a Mooney Aircraft Company spokesman, normal approach speed is 80 KIAS (knots indicated airspeed) with 10 degrees flaps deployed, and 75 KIAS with 33 degrees (full) flaps deployed. The spokesman said the airplane is equipped with "speed brakes," not "spoilers," and may be deployed during the landing approach.

[Rustler]

I'll say there's more of a story. Try this:

#FAA1

Accident/Incident Occurred on: 1997-09-20 Narrative: (-16) A POORLY PLANNED AND EXECUTED LANDING APPROACH RESULTED IN A PORPOISE LANDING. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO ABORT THE LANDING, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE AIRCRAFT STALLED, LANDED HARD AND VEERED OFF THE RUNWAY. DAMAGE WAS SUSTAINED BY THE ENGINE, PROP, FORWARD FUSELAGE AND NOSE LANDING GEAR.

#FAA2

Accident/Incident Occurred on: 1998-02-06 Narrative: NARRATIVE: AIRCRAFT STRUCK DEER ON THE RUNWAY AFTER LANDING.

#FAA3

Accident/Incident Occurred on: 2006-06-06 Narrative: (-23) ON 06/06/2006 APPROXIMATELY 1130 MDT, A MOONEY M-20-M (N9140Z) SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE DURING AN ABORTED LANDING AND GO-AROUND AT THE DOUBLE EAGLE II (AEG), ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87120. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 ON A PERSONAL FLIGHT WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE FLIGHT THAT HAD ORIGINATED FROM THE DOUBLE EAGLE II AIRPORT AT 1000 MDT. NEITHER THE OWNER/PILOT NOR HIS PASSENGER SUSTAINED ANY INJURIES.

[Mooneyland]

I sold this Bravo for the last owner to the current owner, a well known celebrity photographer. The damge history was definately in the price he paid, but we had that plane checked out and annualed by a Mooney experienced mechanic; in fact he did the work in my hanger for convenience sake. That gave me a chance to go over this bird stem to stearn. The mechanic commented that it is impossible to tell that there had been any damage history because anything that got bent got replaced with brand new parts, and according to the well documented logs, the plane really didn't need that much replaced, plus the mechanic and I phoned the repair station that did the work to verify no more was done than was entered into the logs. That way I could explain to the buyer intellegently about its history. I think that I remember that the FAA states that if a bent part is replaced with a new part, then it was not considered damage history in the fullest sense of the word. In other words, if you back your bird into the hanger and your aileron hits a hanger door and you reskin the aileron to repair it, that is damage history. If you replace it with new it is not damage history. In any event, there were 3 incidents with this plane; all in the landing phase. Many buyers ask me about the  "Super-Stretch" Mooney's; I'm just not a fan. I have tried to like them and have flown them extensively, but they are a handfull on landing pure and simple and in flight they do not feel much like a Mooney. Kind of the trucky feel of the C-210. One of the mistakes Mooney made on this model was not re-designing the gear shocks. Mooney's have gone up in weight about 800 lbs with these big heavy models and that takes its toll on the standard gear disks, in fact they don't last long at all and soon after they begin sagging at all, the tail of those models sits awfully close to the ground as you may have noticed on some of them. They are very nose-heavy birds and you've got to be ready with some muskles to hold the nose up after touchdown. Another of the reasons for the many landing mishaps in these is that in order to get them slow enough to land without much float, they feel a bit squirly at the published short final numbers which makes some fly them in too fast for the wing to settle w/o float. Catch 22. All that extra weight also makes the brakes not as affective as on the lighter models and they go through some brake pads!

I had delivered this plane to Los Angeles when it sold to the current owner. We also re-did the red faded interior with overstuffed leather seats. What a difference in comfort that makes. Anyhow, these are very comfortable and capable "straight-line"  traveling machines. I had made it from San Antonio to El Monte in five hours flat into the wind at about an 18.5 gph power setting. The bird flew the trip magnificently and rigging was exactly on. For standard 252 money, I'd have to think twice about this bird because it offers so much; just know that with these new models, gone are the days of easy cheap maintenance.

For those that are wondering why Mooneyland doesn't have the listing; it had to do with the buyer's soon to be ex who picked us up at the airport and we ended up getting dumped in a ghetto half way to our LAX destination because she had forgotten to feed her dogs! In fairness; with all her complaining of having to pick us up after we delivered it all the way to LA at no charge (my son lives there); I asked her to let us off and to go feed her dogs. She did! It took us over 3 hours of waiting to get a cab, and after telling her husband that I was rude to HER! we got into it. Anyhow now that there is a divorce that was easy to see coming (reason for selling), we've made up some, but he jumped from the fry pan into the fire! He's now dating a well known bad-girl actress. ) He's really a good guy and he bought the plane right so he should be able to sell it right. If any were worrying about the damage history, don't sweat it. This bird is like brand new in and out.

I thought you might enjoy this little story about this Bravo.

fly safe,

richard @ mooneyland

[debiassi]

The owner actually says it was a mistake and that the advertisers put his diamond aircraft and the mooney prices the wrong way round. I actually looked through the logs and the repair does seem to be well documented.

[Mooneyland]

You're right. It was all very well documented and when the annual was done, we called the repair station and they gave it an enthusiastic clean bill of health. What did impress me about this bird other than flying it was the condition inside the belly and engine compartment. It all looked brand new, so I wouldn't hesitate on this bird due to the damage history and of course it's priced accordingly and for 252 money, this has many upgrades including being a lot newer airplane. It sure goes fast and runs smooth.

richard @ mooneyland

[Obersteg]

Caveat emptor ;-)

[Mooneyland]

Of Course! Per your quote; Buyer should always beware, but in this case the repair station was FAA approved for this type thing and I've flown several planes in my career that had been repaired of serious damage. The birds are all still flying and flying well.

The problems to look for in purchasing previously damged birds is; was there anything that had to be straightened out, or were all repairs done by replacing bolt on parts with new parts? Further, were new parts bolted onto repaired damage parts? If not, then the plane should be good as new; only much cheaper than if it had NDH for marketing purposes. We all get on airliners all the time that have been damged and repaired at one time or another.

I think that many of us pay way too much importance on previous damage history. Properly and legally repaired airplanes by the right kinds of shops makes the plane no less safe than it ever was; it's just the resale value that is affected, so if you buy it right with that in mind; you'll be flying more plane than you could otherwise afford. Don't forget that there are upsides to some damage history such as engines were torn down for inspection, so everything associated with that engine gets inspected including anything that may have been going amiss having nothing to do with damage history; plus they put a whole slew of new parts in a torn down and inspected engine; and of course a new prop.

My view is that if you purchase a plane previously damaged, make certain that the fixit shop is an FAA approved repair station or the manufacturer. You will then be assured of a good and safe airplane.

Fly safe,

richard @ Mooneyland