Amateur-built Sonex accident near Marion, South Carolina, September 12, 2018
On September 12, 2018 at about 5:20 pm local time, a 2007 amateur-built Sonex, registered N75SX, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Marion, South Carolina. 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
Impact with terrain for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2018 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Marion, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Sonex, built 2007
- Registration
- N75SX · no longer on the register · serial 0075
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 85-year-old commercial pilot was conducting a local pleasure flight in his experimental, amateur-built airplane. A witness near the accident site saw the airplane flying at low altitude before it entered a "straight up" climb followed by a descent and continued "straight down" toward the ground. It did not appear that the pilot attempted to pull out of the dive. Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical discrepancies that would have precluded normal operation. Despite the pilot's age, his daughter stated that he had no known medical issues (cardiac, respiratory or physical) that would interfere with his flying, and no evidence of incapacitation or impairment were identified by the autopsy and toxicology testing. The reason for the airplane's impact with terrain could not be determined based on the available information.
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
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,615 hours in all; 115 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 761.8 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 18, 2017; 21 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 2200 (piston); 257 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLO Florence SC
- Destination: FLO Florence SC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from FLO, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on March 16, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTSB Record of Conversation - Witness | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Aircraft Logbook | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 5 | NTSB Record of Conversation - Wreckage Exam | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | NTSB Recorder Lab Email Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | NTSB Summary of Email - Pilot's Daughter | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 and Evidence Control Form | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Electronic Devices - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.