Amateur-built OSPREY II accident near Manassas, Virginia, June 29, 1988
On June 29, 1988 at about 10:48 am local time, a amateur-built OSPREY II, registered N70J, was destroyed in an accident near Manassas, Virginia (Manassas airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 29, 1988 · about 10:48 am local time
- Place
- Manassas, Virginia · Manassas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built OSPREY II
- Registration
- N70J · no longer on the register · serial 1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT ON INITIAL CLIMB AT AN ALT OF 300 FT AGL, ENGINE POWER BEGAN TO DECAY. A RIGHT TURN WAS INITIATED TO RETURN TO THE RUNWAY BUT A FURTHER LOSS OF POWER WAS EXPERIENCED AND A FORCED LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED IN A FIELD. THE ACFT CONTACTED TREES AND CAME TO REST IN A WOODED AREA ON THE ARPT PROPERTY. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE THROTTLE CABLE CAME LOOSE AT THE THROTTLE LEVER INSIDE THE COCKPIT. THE CARBURETOR WAS NOT SPRING LOADED TO KEEP THE THROTTLE AT FULL POWER. THIS WAS THE MAIDEN FLT OF THE HOMEBUILT/EXPERIMENTAL ACFT.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,197 hours in all; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1,885 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, June 22, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 1,632 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W10 at 6:48 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34R, 5,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.