Amateur-built Sonerai IIL accident near Camarillo, California, December 17, 2001
On December 17, 2001 at about 8:50 pm local time, a amateur-built Sonerai IIL, registered N6399D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Camarillo, California (Camarillo airport). It was a personal flight 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
Failure of the pilot to maintain directional control on the landing rollout. Factors were the owner/pilot's inadequate remedial design changes and the freshly plowed field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 17, 2001 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Camarillo, California · Camarillo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Sonerai IIL
- Registration
- N6399D · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the landing rollout the airplane departed the runway and came to rest inverted in an adjacent field. The adjacent field had recently been plowed, and contained furrows. The airplane traveled perpendicular to the furrows and nosed over. The purpose of the flight was to practice maneuvers, and fulfill the experimental operating certificate limitations intial 40-hour requirement. The pilot had accrued 5 hours of flight time on the airplane. When he returned to land, he noted a crosswind, but did not believe that it would have an affect on the landing. There were no mechanical anomalies noted with the airplane by the pilot. Of note in the pilot's written statement was the directional instability that he encountered during takeoffs in the 7 hours that were placed on the airplane within the previous year. He made several modifications, mostly rigging changes to the tailwheel, to improve the takeoff characteristics. While in contact with the Sonerai technical representative, the owner stated that there were plans to convert the conventional landing gear airplane to a tricycle landing gear. The proposed modification would solve the instability problem.
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: 400 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 9, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 31, 2001; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Revmaster R2100-DCDI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CMA Camarillo CA at 6:00 pm
- Destination: CMA Camarillo CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 6,010 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from CMA
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.