No fatalities

MOONEY M20C accident at Watsonville, CA, 7 Oct 2025

Watsonville, CA, United States

On October 7, 2025, a MOONEY M20C was involved in an aviation accident near Watsonville, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s decision to program avionics during taxi, resulting in an inadvertent throttle input and collision with a hangar. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

Probable cause

The pilot’s decision to program avionics during taxi, resulting in an inadvertent throttle input and collision with a hangar.

— NTSB Determination

Contributing factors

PilotIncorrect use/operation