Amateur-built SONERAI II accident near Cherokee, Iowa, July 13, 1990
On July 13, 1990 at about 2:45 pm local time, a amateur-built SONERAI II, registered N2MX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cherokee, Iowa. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AIRCRAFT CONTROL NOT MAINTAINED BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1990 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cherokee, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SONERAI II
- Registration
- N2MX · no longer on the register · serial UM 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PVT PLT SAID THAT HE HAD JUST DEPARTED THE AIRPORT IN HIS NEWLY PURCHASED HOMEBUILT ACFT, HAD LEVELED OFF, WHEN THE CANOPY POPPED OPEN. HE REDUCED POWER, THEN HELD THE CANOPY PARTIALLY DOWN WITH HIS THROTTLE HAND. HE ATTEMPTED AN EMERGENCY LDG, AND FELT HE NEEDED ADDITIONAL POWER TO MAKE THE FIELD, BUT CHOSE TO HOLD THE CANOPY DOWN INSTEAD. HE LANDED IN AN ALFALFA FIELD, STRUCK A DITCH AND NOSED OVER. THE PLT SAID THAT HE CHOSE TO HOLD THE CANOPY DOWN, RATHER THAN RISK POSSIBLE ADVERSE FLIGHT CHARACTARISTICS WITH IT OPEN.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 268 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 268 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 925 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 2020 C.C. (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CKP at 1:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:52 pm from SUX, 50 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.
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.