# NTSB CHI07LA091: Haddan Sonerai IIL, N5200C, Fort Atkinson, WI, March 17, 2007 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 17, 2007, 14:20 local (19:20 UTC) - Place: Fort Atkinson, WI - Coordinates: 42.9577777777778, -88.8172222222222 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.9578&lon=-88.8172&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 1 minor - Status: Completed, report February 28, 2008 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 65446 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI07LA091 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/65446/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI07LA091 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed following a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A low altitude and an inadvertent stall were factors. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, takeoff - reason for occurrence undetermined (cause) - Loss of control - in flight, descent - uncontrolled - airspeed - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - altitude - low, pilot in command (contributing factor) - stall - inadvertent, pilot in command (contributing factor) - In flight collision with terrain/water, emergency landing after takeoff - terrain condition - ground - misc eqpt/furnishings,seat belt - not installed - misc eqpt/furnishings,shoulder harness - not installed ## Analysis The pilot stated that shortly after take off, about 500 feet above ground level, the engine lost power. While maneuvering to a field for an off airport forced landing, the airplane stalled. On-scene examination of the airplane revealed that there was usable fuel aboard and no anomalies were noted that would have precluded normal operation. The rear seat, which was occupied by the pilot, had a lap belt and no shoulder harness installed. The front seat, which was occupied by the pilot's son, did not have a lap belt nor did it have a shoulder harness. The severity of the injuries to the passenger could be attributed to the lack of installed lap belt and shoulder harness. ## Factual narrative On March 17, 2007, about 1420 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Haddan Sonerai IIL, N5200C, piloted by a private pilot, received substantial damage on impact with terrain during a forced landing on a field near Fort Atkinson Municipal Airport (61C), Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot received minor injuries and the passenger received serious injuries. The flight originated from 61C about 1415, en route to Beloit Airport (44C), Beloit, Wisconsin. A witness stated that he was traveling along Highway 26 when he saw the airplane flying "erratically." He initially thought the airplane was going to cross over Highway 26 but instead it "went under [a] tree line" and then crashed. The witness arrived at the accident site and saw the pilot was already out of the airplane trying to get his son out of the wreckage. The pilot reported to police that he owned the airplane for approximately one week and accumulated about 10 hours of flight time in the airplane. He departed from 61C in a northerly direction when the engine sputtered and quit approximately 500 feet above ground level. The pilot stated that he checked his fuel mixture and was unable to detect anything in the cockpit that would cause the engine to quit. He then looked for a landing area and believes that the airplane stalled. The pilot stated that the airplane has a takeoff speed of 60 mph and the stall speed is 55 mph. The airplane was located in an upright position and was preceded by 60 foot long tire marks. There was usable fuel aboard. On-scene examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane flight manual states that the airplane is equipped with seatbelts and shoulder harnesses and also states within the Before Starting Engine checklist that they are to be adjusted and locked. The rear seat, which was occupied by the pilot, had a lap belt and no shoulder harness installed. The front seat, which was occupied by the pilot's son, did not have a lap belt nor did it have a shoulder harness, which is cited in the airplane manual as being present. Advisory Circular, AC 91-65, Use of Shoulder Harness In Passenger Seats, states, in part: "The safety board found that 20 percent of the fatally-injured occupants in these accidents could have survived with shoulder harnesses (assuming the seat belt was fastened) and 88 percent of the seriously injured could have had significantly less severe injuries with the use of shoulder harnesses. Energy-absorbing seats could have benefited 34 percent of the seriously injured. The safety board concluded that shoulder harness use is the most effective way of reducing fatalities and serious injuries in general aviation accidents." ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5200C](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5200C-2013-06-11), registration cancelled 2013-06-11, S/N 001, built 2003 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Haddan Sonerai IIL - Registry model: [Haddan Charles SONERAI IIL](https://openairdocs.org/model/haddan-charles-sonerai-iil) (registry code 05617HE) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (registry code 99999) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 001 - Engines: Volkswagen reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Pilot - Registered owner: Rusty Bogue - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Departed: 61C, Fort Atkinson, WI - Destination: 44C, Beloit, WI - Airport: 61C, Fort Atkinson Muni ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 35; injuries: minor; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3; seat: rear; flight hours: 2,000 total, 10 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 280° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 36 °F, dew point 46 °F - Altimeter: 30.22 inHg - Observed at: RYV, 13 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20070317832179A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070317832179A), Mar 17, 2007: Amtr SONERAI, Ft Atkinson, WI, Destroyed. (-23) On March 17, 2007, at 1420 CST, a Sonerai iil, made an emergency landing shortly after departing from Ft Atkinson, WI airport. At about 300AGL engine… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.