Amateur-built SONERAI II accident near Wayland, Michigan, November 19, 1986
On November 19, 1986 at about 10:35 pm local time, a amateur-built SONERAI II, registered N28KD, was destroyed in an accident near Wayland, Michigan (Wayland airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- November 19, 1986 · about 10:35 pm local time
- Place
- Wayland, Michigan · Wayland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SONERAI II
- Registration
- N28KD · no longer on the register · serial 1570
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE VOLKSWAGEN ENGINE OF THIS HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT LOST POWER SOMETIME DURING FLIGHT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED DURING A FORCED LANDING IN A FIELD. THE PILOT RECEIVED SERIOUS HEAD INJURIES DURING IMPACT AND COULD NOT REMEMBER DETAILS OF THE ACCIDENT. ALSO, THE ENGINE WAS BADLY DAMAGED AND NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 728 hours in all; 545 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 342 as pilot in command; 50 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 16, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 925 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 1700 CC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 41C Wayland MI at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 130° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 18°F (-8°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.