Amateur-built PDQ-II accident near Mars, Pennsylvania, August 29, 1982
On August 29, 1982 at about 4:45 pm local time, a amateur-built PDQ-II, registered N41835, was destroyed in an accident near Mars, Pennsylvania (Lakehill 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
- August 29, 1982 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Mars, Pennsylvania · Lakehill
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PDQ-II
- Registration
- N41835 · no longer on the register · serial 3
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THAT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE OPERATING NORMALLY, OVERHEAD AND IN THE VICINITY OF THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. ONE WITNESS ALSO STATED THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN A TURN AS IF TO RETURN FOR LANDING. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESCENDING AND BEGAN TO ROCK SHARPLY. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT STRUCK A UTILITY POLE ABOUT 20 FT AGL, THEN IMPACTED ON THE EDGE OF A ROAD. THE AIRCRAFT, WHICH WAS BUILT PRIMARILY FROM FIBERGLASS AND STYROFOAM, LITERALLY DISINTEGRATED DURING IMPACT.
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: 81 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 132 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ama (Vw) EXP 1700 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Mars, PA
- Destination: Mars, PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.