Sorrell SNS-8 accident near Wenatchee, Washington, June 19, 1984
On June 19, 1984 at about 1:00 am local time, a Sorrell SNS-8 (ultralight), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Wenatchee, Washington (Fancher airport). It was a personal flight under ultralight rules (Part 103). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 1984 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Wenatchee, Washington · Fancher · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sorrell SNS-8
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 8
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ULTRALIGHT DOVE INTO THE GROUND FROM 200 FT AGL WITH FULL POWER ON. THE PLT HAD COMPLAINED OF CHEST PAINS AND WAS UNDER MEDICATION FOR DYSPEPSIA. SOME OF THE MEDICINE WAS FOUND IN THE OPERATORS AUTO. NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MALFUNCTION OF ACFT OR PLT IMPAIRMENT WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 60 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 50 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 50 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax GMBH-277 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 3,350 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.