Johnson SKYOTE accident near Portsmouth, Virginia, June 8, 1984
On June 8, 1984 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Johnson SKYOTE, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N64SK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Portsmouth, Virginia (Hampton Roads airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- June 8, 1984 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Portsmouth, Virginia · Hampton Roads
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Johnson SKYOTE, amateur-built
- Registration
- N64SK · registry record · serial 21
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS A RECENTLY MANUFACTURED, HOME BUILT PLANE THAT WAS EQUIPPED WITH BRAKES THAT WERE DESIGNED FOR A MUCH LARGER (PIPER PA-23) ACFT. THE PLT STATED THAT THE BRAKES WERE TOO SENSITIVE FOR HIS ACFT, A SKYOTE. ALSO, HE EQUIPPED IT WITH A HIGH QUALITY SEAT BELT, BUT DUE TO THE BELT'S LARGE PAD, HE COULD NOT PROPERLY TIGHTEN IT. DURING A LANDING, THE ACFT BOUNCED & HE SLID FORWARD. HE FELT THAT THIS CAUSED HIM TO APPLY EXCESSIVE BRAKE PRESSURE. THE ACFT THEN NOSED OVER & WAS DAMAGED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,709 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 2,709 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 1 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 4,000 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:35 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.