Amateur-built SONERAI II accident near Las Cruces, New Mexico, February 16, 1983
On February 16, 1983 at about 8:00 pm local time, a amateur-built SONERAI II, registered N1390A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Las Cruces, New Mexico (Crawford airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 1983 · about 8:00 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Las Cruces, New Mexico · Crawford · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SONERAI II
- Registration
- N1390A · registry record · serial 711
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NEW HOME BUILT ACFT HAD ONLY 2.5 HRS TOTAL FLT TIME. AFTER A TEST FLT, THE PLT WAS ON THE LANDING ROLL WHEN HE LOST CONTROL AT APRX 35 MPH. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT GROUND LOOPED & NOSED OVER ON ITS TOP. THE PLT REPORTED THAT LOSS OF CONTROL OCCURRED AFTER A STEERING ARM FAILED ON THE TAILWHEEL ASSEMBLY.
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: 574 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 524 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 25 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, March 26, 1982; 25 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen VW (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 7,494 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 3 knots, gusting 4
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N1390A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1390A on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Volkswagen VW · as the NTSB recorded it
- Las Cruces International · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,113 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N1390A 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW83LA122.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.