Amateur-built SONERAI II accident near Waterbury, Connecticut, August 2, 1985
On August 2, 1985 at about 10:25 pm local time, a amateur-built SONERAI II, registered N27EF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waterbury, Connecticut. 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 1985 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- Waterbury, Connecticut
- 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
- N27EF · registry record · serial 01476L
- 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 HOMEBUILT SONERAI II MADE AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING 3 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE SOLE OCCUPANT WAS UNINJURED. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT SHOWED THE FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY. HOWEVER, THERE WAS FUEL IN THE GASCOLATOR TO THE CARBURATOR. WHEN THE ENGINE WAS ROTATED NO SPARK WAS OBSERVED FROM THE MAGNETOS. AFTER THE 'P' LEAD WAS REMOVED AND REINSTALLED, AND THE IGNITION SWITCH (MANUFACTURED FOR FARM TRACTORS) WAS CYCLED, SPARK WAS OBSERVED FROM THE MAGNETOS.
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: 1,212 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,156 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 16, 1985; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen UNKNOWN (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0XC Oxford CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N27EF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC85FNE02.