- Date
- April 4, 2026, 13:39 local (17:39 UTC)
- Place
- Martinsburg, WV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N106DGirardeau Samuel G Sonex-A
- Defining event
- Enroute: Loss of engine power (partial)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260404002919A
- Case key
- 202766
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Preliminary report
What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.
On April 4, 2026, about 1339 eastern daylight time, a Girardeau Samuel G Sonex-A airplane, N106D, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Martinsburg, WV. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The aircraft was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that 7 to 8 minutes after takeoff from Eastern WV Regional Airport (MRB), the engine exhaust gas temperatures (EGT) began to rise, while operating with a full rich mixture. When the EGTs continued to increase, he elected to return to the airport. Shortly thereafter, while returning to the airport, at about 2,500 ft altitude, the engine began to sputter and experienced a partial loss of power. The pilot declared an emergency with air traffic control. Unable to reach the airport, he conducted an emergency landing to an open field. After touchdown, he was unable to stop the airplane and subsequently impacted a fence and crossed a road before coming to rest against another fence. A metal fence post pierced the fuselage which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The wreckage was retained for further examination.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N106D
- Reported as
- Girardeau Samuel G Sonex-A
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 0899
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 188.1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 23, 2025
- Departed
- MRB · Martinsburg, WV
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- MRB · Eastern Wv Rgnl/Shepherd Fld
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Data recorder, Electronic primary flight display, Stall warning system, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KMRB, 2 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KMRB 041553Z 10SM CLR 27/15 A3010
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.