Sonex Aircraft SONEX accident near Dowagiac, MI
On September 10, 2023, a Sonex Aircraft SONEX (airplane) was involved in an accident near Dowagiac, MI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 10, 2023
- Place
- Dowagiac, MI
- Aircraft
- Sonex Aircraft SONEX · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 42.047°N, 86.093°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230914193066
Official records · CEN23FA410
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On September 10, 2023, about 1200 eastern daylight time, an experimental Sonex airplane, N569SX, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Dowagiac, Michigan. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. (Note: The accident time was estimated based on the departure time and nominal fuel consumption.) The pilot departed Dowagiac Municipal Airport (C91), Dowagiac, Michigan, about 1100, for a local area flight. An alert notice (ALNOT) was issued at 2021 when the pilot had not returned. The accident site was located 4 days later in a heavily wooded area about 4 miles north-northeast of C91. An open agricultural field was about 60 yards west of where the wreckage was located. There were no known witnesses to the accident. The airplane came to rest inverted. Trees in the immediate vicinity were up to about 100 ft tall. Fresh tree breaks and a downed tree were located about 30 ft north and 25 ft northwest of the wreckage, respectively. The aft fuselage was crushed and resting on a fallen tree. Both wings exhibited leading-edge crushing damage consistent with impact to the trees and terrain. The empennage was damaged consistent with impact forces. The flight control surfaces remained attached to the airframe, and control continuity was confirmed to the cockpit controls. The engine appeared intact and undamaged with the exception of minor impact damage to the air filter/intake assembly. The propeller was secured to the engine; however, both blades were damaged consistent with impa
Probable cause
The total loss of engine power due to the failure of the ignition distributor rotor.
More accidents in MI
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82, Aug 17, 1987
- Embraer EMB-120RT, Jan 9, 1997
- Beech 65-A90, Jul 31, 1999
- Casa C-212-CC, Mar 4, 1987
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14, Dec 3, 1990
Browse: Michigan
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
