Amateur-built Sonex accident near Bonham, Texas, August 15, 2007
On August 15, 2007 at about 12:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Sonex, registered N557SX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bonham, Texas (Jones Field Airport). 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 pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane on take off, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 2007 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bonham, Texas · Jones Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Sonex
- Registration
- N557SX · no longer on the register · serial 0557
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The sport pilot departed in his single-engine experimental airplane for a local flight. Shortly after takeoff, a witness observed the airplane make a sharp (hard) right turn and nose dive straight into the ground. Another witness said the airplane departed with full power at a good rate of climb and speed, followed shortly after by the sound of "normal" power reduction. The airplane came to rest in a field adjacent to the runway and was destroyed by post-impact fire. The pilot purchased the airplane approximately four months prior to the accident and had logged approximately 22 hours in the airplane, which had accrued a total of 50 hours. An invoice dated a month prior indicated that the pilot had purchased wing skin and rivets for the left wing. However, it could not be determined if any work had been done to the left wing prior to the accident because the maintenance logbooks were not made available for review. Toxicological testing was conducted by the FAA Toxicology Accident Research Laboratory, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The report of testing noted negative results for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, and drugs. The report noted 6200 mg/dl of glucose in urine, 0 mg/dl of glucose in vitreous fluid, and 9 percent Hemoglobin A1C. According to the toxicological report, "Elevated postmortem urine glucose levels could be caused by diabetes mellitus or several other medical conditions, which may or may not have been a factor in the accident." The FAA had no record of application for airman medical certificate for the pilot since 1992. No medical certificate is required for operation under sport pilot regulations.
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: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 22 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: F00 Bonham TX at 12:00 pm
- Destination: F00
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from DUA, 23 miles away
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.