Amateur-built Sorrell SNS-2 Guppy accident near Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, May 5, 2007
On May 5, 2007 at about 3:17 pm local time, a amateur-built Sorrell SNS-2 Guppy, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stewartstown, Pennsylvania (Shoeatring Aviation Airfield). 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 airspeed resulting in inadvertent stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2007 · about 3:17 pm local time
- Place
- Stewartstown, Pennsylvania · Shoeatring Aviation Airfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Sorrell SNS-2 Guppy
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 79
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-current pilot departed in the unregistered single seat airplane from runway 15, and a witness who was located at a hangar on the airfield reported that when the flight was past the departure end of the runway, the airplane turned onto a right crosswind leg. The airplane appeared to be flying slow, then "...nose down vertical into a spin, impacted vertically." Another witness who was driving on a nearby road reported seeing the airplane "...spiral down into the field." The airplane came to rest with the empennage elevated vertically and slightly twisted to the left. The fuselage was crushed to the instrument panel. Flight control continuity was confirmed for roll, and pitch; impact damage to the area of the rudder pedals precluded confirmation of control continuity for yaw. A total of 2.5 gallons of blue tinted 2 cycle fuel/oil mixture were drained from the 5.0 gallon fuel tank, which was free of contamination. One propeller blade was separated at the propeller hub and shattered, while the remaining blade remained secured inside the propeller hub. Examination of the engine revealed numerous discrepancies. A current weight and balance was not available with the installed engine and propeller, therefore, the exact weight and balance at the time of the accident 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 399 hours in all; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: February 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 650 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0P2 Stewartstown PA at 3:17 pm
- Destination: 9W8 Brogue PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 1,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KTHV, 13 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG 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.