Amateur-built II accident near Wakefield, Virginia, August 21, 1983
On August 21, 1983 at about 2:30 pm local time, a amateur-built II, registered N80FE, was destroyed in an accident near Wakefield, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 1983 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wakefield, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built II
- Registration
- N80FE · registry record · serial 62169
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FLT, THE ENG LOST POWER & THE PROPELLER STOPPED. THE PASSENGER RECALLED HEARING A 'TICKING' SOUND FROM THE ENG PRIOR TO THE POWER LOSS. ACCORDING TO THE PLT & THE PASSENGER, THE ACFT STALLED & BEGAN TO SPIN AS THE PLT TRIED TO TURN INTO A BEAN FIELD DURING A FORCED LANDING APPROACH. AN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED A HOLE HAD BEEN BURNED THRU THE TOP OF THE #4 CYLINDER NEAR A SPARK PLUG HOLE. THE PISTON TOPS WERE FREE OF CARBON & HAD EVIDENCE OF EXCESSIVE HEAT, WHICH WOULD BE INDICATIVE OF DETONATION. THE #1 PISTON WAS SCUFFED, THERE WAS A SMALL SECTION MISSING FROM THE TOP SIDE OF THE PISTON & THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE PISTON AT THE BOTTOM COMPRESSION RING. A FUEL SAMPLE WAS CHECKED & DID NOT MEET THE SPECIFICATIONS FOR AVIATION GASOLINE, BUT HAD CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTOMOTIVE FUEL. ADDITIONALLY, CHAMPION RHB32E SPARK PLUGS WERE FOUND IN THE ENG, BUT WERE NOT APPROVED IN THE CONTINENTAL IO-360-D.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,756 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 57 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, March 12, 1983; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,590 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Newport News VA
- Destination: Petersburg VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.