Cessna 182R accident near Manassas, Virginia, March 1, 1986
On March 1, 1986 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Cessna 182R, registered N9962H, was destroyed in an accident near Manassas, Virginia (Manassas Municipal airport). It was a personal flight 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
- March 1, 1986 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Manassas, Virginia · Manassas Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N9962H · no longer on the register · serial 18268146
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED BLACK SMOKE TRAILING FROM THE AIRCRAFT SHORTLY AFTER LIFTOFF AND CONTINUE UNTIL GROUND IMPACT. THE PILOT INDICATED THAT HE FIRST NOTICED AN ENGINE ROUGHNESS ABOUT 100-200 FEET IN THE AIR AND THOUGHT IT WAS SIMILAR TO AN ENGINE THAT WAS RUNNING TO RICH. HE ELECTED NOT TO TRY AND ABORT THE TAKEOFF BUT TO TRY AND PERFORM A NORMAL TRAFFIC PATTERN AND COME AROUND AND LAND AGAIN. POWER CONTINUED TO DECREASE WITH THE RESULT BEING THAT HE WAS FORCED TO ATTEMPT TO LAND THE AIRCRAFT IN A NEARBY FIELD, COLLIDING WITH THE ONLY HOUSE LOCATED IN THE CENTER OF THE FIELD. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE ENGINE DID NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE REPORTED LOSS OF POWER.
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: 228 hours in all; 145 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 188 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 834 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 10, 1986; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W10 at 6:20 pm
- Destination: W98 Chesterfield VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34L, 3,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from IAD, 7 miles away
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.