- Date
- December 21, 1987, 14:05 local (20:05 UTC)
- Place
- St. Louis, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N502WMSonerai 2L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 27, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871221073079A
- Case key
- 34527
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Loss of control - on ground/water
Running takeoff - attempted
In flight collision with terrain/water
Terrain condition - snowbankFactor
Directional control - not maintainedCause
Analysis
While practicing take offs and ldgs, PIC lost directional control during rollout. He added power and struck a snowbank just after becoming airborne during running takeoff.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N502WM
- Reported as
- Sonerai 2L
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1027L
- Airframe hours
- 12
- Engine
- Volkswagen H.A.P.I 60-2, 60 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William M. Nelson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 12, 1987 · 12 hours before
- Airport
- SUS · Spirit Of St. Louis, runway 26R, 3,800 × 75 ft, asphalt
N502WMRegistration cancelled Apr 17, 2012 · Nelson William M SONERAI II LAirframe modelNelson William M SONERAI II L
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.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 619 total · 12 in this make and model · 619 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SUS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.