Amateur-built SORRELL SNS-7 accident near Mt. Vernon, Illinois, August 29, 1999
On August 29, 1999 at about 4:45 pm local time, a amateur-built SORRELL SNS-7, registered N60SV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mt. Vernon, Illinois (Mt. Vernon airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind condition which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop. A factor associated with the accident was the gusty crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 1999 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Mt. Vernon, Illinois · Mt. Vernon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SORRELL SNS-7 SORRELL SN
- Registration
- N60SV · registry record · serial 236
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while landing on runway 23 a quartering crosswind from the left lifted the tail of the airplane to the right. The airplane rotated 360 degrees and the right main landing gear collapsed. The pilot reported local winds at the time of the accident were from 150 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 18 knots.
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: 1,452 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 381 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 29, 1999; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,810 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1H0 Creve Couer MO at 3:15 pm
- Destination: MVN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 6,498 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 15 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.