Amateur-built ACROSPORT 1 accident near Danville, Virginia, August 31, 1988
On August 31, 1988 at about 8:30 pm local time, a amateur-built ACROSPORT 1, registered N47TA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Danville, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 31, 1988 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Danville, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ACROSPORT 1 ACROSPORT
- Registration
- N47TA · no longer on the register · serial 807
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A PERFORMANCE TEST FLIGHT WHEN A POWER LOSS OCCURRED AT 1100 FT MSL. THE PLT UNSUCCESSFULLY TRIED TO RESTART THE ENGINE AND MADE A FORCED LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT REVEALED THE RUBBER HOSE VENT LINE WAS OBSTRUCTED WITH TRAPPED FUEL.
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: 350 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 350 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DAN Danville VA at 8:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.