Amateur-built SONERAI II accident near Trenton, Kentucky, August 5, 1986
On August 5, 1986, a amateur-built SONERAI II, registered N325WB, was destroyed in an accident near Trenton, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 1986
- Place
- Trenton, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SONERAI II
- Registration
- N325WB · no longer on the register · serial 325
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING THE ACFT SPIN TO GROUND IMPACT WITH A SECTION OF THE RIGHT WING HANGING. POST ACCIDENT EXAM REVEALED THE OUTBOARD HALF (APRX 4 FT) OF THE RIGHT WING WAS BENT APRX 120 DEGREES TO THE INSIDE HALF OF THE RIGHT WING. MONNETT EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT SERVICE BULLETIN NO. 002 ADDRESSED FLIGHT ENVELOPE RESTIRCTION NECESSARY TO PREVENT INFLIGHT WING FAILURES DUE TO OVERLOADS. IT IS NOT KNOWN IF THESE RESTRICTIONS WERE ADHEARED TO. THE PREVIOUS ACFT OWNER HAD INSTALLED A 14 INCH EXTENSION ON THE WINGS PRIOR TO THIS SERVICE BULLETIN. THE EFFECT ON THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY BY THE ADDITION OF THE EXTENSIONS IN UNKNOWN.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 10, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 925 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-75 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CKV Clarksville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.