Amateur-built SONERAI II-LS accident near Friendswood, Texas, July 9, 1996
On July 9, 1996 at about 1:35 am local time, a amateur-built SONERAI II-LS, registered N30155, was substantially damaged in an accident near Friendswood, Texas (Polly Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the pilot's failure to attain the proper traffic pattern altitude on the downwind leg prior to turning the base leg.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 1996 · about 1:35 am local time
- Place
- Friendswood, Texas · Polly Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SONERAI II-LS SONERAI II
- Registration
- N30155 · no longer on the register · serial 1284
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was observed to approach the airport at less than traffic pattern altitude. During the turn from the downwind leg to the base leg, the engine quit. The airplane collided with a tree near the end of the runway. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the carburetor flow jet needle was displaced 15 degrees from the desired setting. The cause of the displacement was not determined.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,562 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 114 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 3,329 as pilot in command; 1,818 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 81 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 31, 1996; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen HAPI/60E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T02 Clover Field TX at 1:25 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 2,700 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N30155 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.