Mooney Pre-Buy Inspections at Gastonia (KAKH)
A pre-buy inspection is the best money you'll spend before buying a Mooney. AGL Aviation Services is an Authorized Mooney Service Center at Gastonia Municipal Airport (KAKH), so the airplane gets looked at by people who work on M20s routinely.
Pre-buy vs. annual
An annual inspection answers whether the airplane is airworthy today. A pre-buy answers a different question: what are you actually buying? It looks for damage, wear and upcoming maintenance that can change the value of the airplane, so you can decide, or negotiate, before the sale closes. After the sale, the cost of anything missed is yours.
What we look at on a Mooney
- Logbooks and records: airworthiness directive compliance, damage history, major repairs and alterations, and gaps in the records.
- Landing gear: the retraction system, shock discs and gear doors.
- Structure: the tubular steel cabin frame and common corrosion areas.
- Fuel system: the wet-wing tanks and signs of sealant seepage.
- Engine: compression, borescope findings where accessible, and oil and filter condition.
- Avionics and equipment: what's installed matches the records and works.
We agree the scope with you before we start. You can add items such as an oil sample for analysis. Findings are shared with you before you close.
Who arranges it
Buyers usually arrange the pre-buy with the seller's permission. The aircraft is flown or delivered to Hangar 3-98 at KAKH. If you're buying from far away, call first and we'll talk through scheduling and what the seller needs to provide.
After you buy
Many buyers follow up with upgrades: an EI engine monitor, SureFly electronic ignition, Beringer wheels and brakes or a Dynon panel. Your first Mooney annual can be planned here too.
Not a Mooney?
Pre-buy inspections on other makes are handled by our parent company, Aero Professionals, in the same hangar.
Call 828-391-8645 (Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–4:30 PM) or send the aircraft details.