Worthington Donald Wayne SONERAI II LT N63917

Summary

On 29 March 2014 at about 20:40 local time, a Worthington Donald Wayne SONERAI II LT registered N63917, operated by Peoples JIM M, was involved in an accident near Highlands Ranch, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 March 2014 at 20:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Highlands Ranch, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Centennial (APA)

Coordinates

39.5522, -105.0031

Aircraft

Worthington Donald Wayne SONERAI II LT

Registration

N63917

Category

Airplane

Year built

1999

Engines

1

Operator

Peoples JIM M

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Highlands Ranch → Highlands Ranch

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14FA173

1 person died.

The pilot’s loss of control during a forced landing following a loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined due to postimpact fire damage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On the morning of the accident, the pilot terminated his first flight early due to a fuel leak in the fuel tank sight gauge. The pilot made a repair before taking off for a second flight. During the second flight, witnesses reported seeing the airplane in distress and hearing the engine sputtering as it approached an open field. The airplane overflew a set of power lines before rolling and impacting terrain, consistent with the pilot reducing the airspeed in an attempt to clear the power lines during a forced landing and subsequently stalling the airplane. The majority of the airplane fuselage and cockpit were consumed by a postimpact fire. Flight control continuity was verified from the cockpit to all flight control surfaces. Examination of the fuel system and engine were limited due to the fire damage, and a reason for the apparent loss of engine power could not be determined. The pilot hadn't flown in 10 years and had recently purchased the airplane. The pilot logged one flight with an instructor about 2 months before the accident, and he had not logged experience in the airplane type before the day of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.