Sonex CEO and Mechanic Killed in Crash

"Jcarr" (jcarr) 06/03/2015 at 12:41 • Filed to: Planelopnik

0

7

The !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! just before 3:30PM CDT yesterday near the east end of runway 9/27 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, WI and claimed the lives of Sonex CEO Jeremy Monnett and assembly mechanic Mike Clark. FAA and NTSB officials are now on scene to investigate.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

The plane they were flying was a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , a low-cost, competition-capable kit aircraft first introduced in 2007. Sonex headquarters are adjacent to Wittman Regional, the site of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ’s annual !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! fly-in.

Image via sonexaircraft.com

For Sweden > Jcarr 06/03/2015 at 12:53

4

Kids, the lesson here is never fly in a kit plane for any reason.

One disturbing fact taught in aircraft accident investigation courses is that 20% of kit plane first flights (of type, not of individual plane) result in fatalities.

Jcarr > For Sweden 06/03/2015 at 12:57

0

20%, really?

For Sweden > Jcarr 06/03/2015 at 13:05

0

That’s what they taught me.

ttyymmnn > For Sweden 06/03/2015 at 13:21

1

20% of kit plane first flights (of type, not of individual plane) result in fatalities.

Wow.

For Sweden > ttyymmnn 06/03/2015 at 13:22

1

I do think most of these are not kit plane companies with new designs, but Frank in his shed putting a foam wing on a washtub.

Sam > For Sweden 06/03/2015 at 15:16

1

“Hold my beer and watch me fly this” probably preludes many of the incidents.

Axial > For Sweden 06/03/2015 at 16:47

0

Most of them are also in the “Experimental” category for one reason or another, rather than being completely vanilla and certified as non-experimental. I can’t remember the exact number, but some of my peers at university had this as their capstone topic.