Landing / Ground Loss of Control · NTSB CEN24FA346
SONEX AIRCRAFT SONEX — Sulphur Springs, IN
| Date | September 10, 2024 |
| Location | Sulphur Springs, IN |
| Aircraft | SONEX AIRCRAFT SONEX (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Takeoff Nose over/nose down |
| Pilot age | 82 |
| Pilot total time | 890 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 4 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined
What happened
A witness reported that the pilot stated that he was going to conduct a short local flight. The pilot, who hangared the airplane at his residence, taxied the airplane from his residence to the private grass airstrip. The witness observed the pilot perform an engine run-up and then proceed to take off. Due to terrain obscuration, the witness lost sight of the airplane shortly after the initial takeoff roll. The witness did not see the airplane become airborne. She then observed the airplane inverted in an adjacent soybean field. She responded to the site, extricated the pilot, and rendered aid until first responders arrived.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. An acquaintance of the pilot stated that it was not uncommon for deer to be grazing in the soybean fields and cross the airstrip; however, there was no evidence of the airplane colliding with wildlife on the runway. The reason for the loss of directional control during the takeoff could not be determined.