Amateur-built Jodel F-12 accident near Clarksville, Virginia, January 27, 2002
On January 27, 2002 at about 7:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Jodel F-12, registered N722Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clarksville, Virginia (Marks Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed after a loss of engine power, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. Also causal, was the loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 2002 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Clarksville, Virginia · Marks Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Jodel F-12
- Registration
- N722Z · no longer on the register · serial F-7002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing a local familiarization flight, just after the airplane had been returned to an airworthy condition after an engine overhaul and propeller replacement. A witness about 1 1/2 miles from the airport reported that the airplane's engine was not running, then appeared restart as the airplane passed by. He subsequently saw the airplane bank sharply to the right, then descend out of view. Another witness, who had just landed, saw the airplane approach the airport, then bank to the right, and disappear below a tree line. He also noted that the airplane "did not seem to have the power it needed to stay airborne." A test run performed on the engine revealed no mechanical deficiencies, and a carburetor icing probability chart indicated a possibility of serious icing at glide 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,900 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 80.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 14, 2001; 0.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B3A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: W63 Clarksville VA at 7:35 pm
- Destination: W63
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 4,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 6:59 pm from AVC, 26 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.