Girardeau Samuel G SONEX-A N106D

Summary

On 4 April 2026 at about 17:39 local time, a Girardeau Samuel G SONEX-A registered N106D was involved in an accident near Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

4 April 2026 at 17:39

Classification

Accident

Location

Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Eastern Wv Rgnl/Shepherd Fld (MRB)

Coordinates

39.3837, -77.9945

Aircraft

Girardeau Samuel G SONEX-A

Registration

N106D

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Martinsburg → Bayse

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA26LA162

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.