Amateur-built SONERAI II accident near Kenton, Ohio, October 15, 1998
On October 15, 1998 at about 10:45 pm local time, a amateur-built SONERAI II, registered N5DZ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kenton, Ohio (Hardin County 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
The pilot's premature rotation and failure to obtain/maintain airspeed during the takeoff, which resulted in a stall and impact with the ground. Factors in this accident were the pilot's lack of total experience in tail-wheeled aircraft, and the nose high elevator trim setting.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 1998 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Kenton, Ohio · Hardin County · map
- 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
- N5DZ · no longer on the register · serial 223
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he initiated his first takeoff in the tail-wheeled airplane with the elevator trim set at a nose high attitude, and the airplane lifted off the runway early. When the airplane was 5 to 10 feet above the ground, all visual relationship with runway was lost due to the airplane's limited visibility. The pilot further stated that when airplane broke free of ground effect, it stalled and impacted the ground. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any pre-impact abnormalities of the airframe or engine. A review of the pilot's logbook revealed 90 hours of total flight experience, all in tricycle gear aircraft.
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: 90 hours in all; 26 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 222 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1998; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hapi 60-2DM (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I95 at 10:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 4,203 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from AOH, 28 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.