Amateur-built SONERAI II accident near Dudley, Missouri, July 9, 2011
On July 9, 2011 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built SONERAI II, registered N113RB, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Dudley, Missouri. 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
Fuel starvation due to the pilot’s improper fuel management and his decision to conduct the flight while under the influence of marijuana.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 2011 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dudley, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SONERAI II
- Registration
- N113RB · no longer on the register · serial 395
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted an open farm field in a left-wing-low, nose-down attitude. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane's fuel tank was found empty, and only the fuel gascolator contained fuel. No fuel smell was detected in the soil beneath the airplane or engine. Toxicological samples indicated that the pilot had recently used marijuana. The detected levels of the drug and its metabolite indicated that the pilot was likely impaired by its use at the time of the accident. On the basis of the available information, it is likely that the pilot flew the airplane until it ran out of fuel and then attempted a forced landing.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel starvation during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Illicit drug › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,243 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 925 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen UNKNOWN ENG (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DXE Dexter MO at 3:20 pm
- Destination: POF Poplar Bluff MO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from POF, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.