Amateur-built SPORT accident near Marshalls Creek, Pennsylvania, September 8, 1988
On September 8, 1988 at about 10:00 pm local time, a amateur-built SPORT, registered N25JJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marshalls Creek, Pennsylvania. 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 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
- September 8, 1988 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Marshalls Creek, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SPORT
- Registration
- N25JJ · registry record · serial 1JJ
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HOMEBUILT AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AMONG THREE TALL PINE TREES. AFTER IMPACT, IT BOUNCED BACK ABOUT THREE FEET & CAME TO REST. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE TREES. AN EXAM OF THE PROP REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF THE ENGINE PRODUCING POWER AT IMPACT. ALSO, NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE AIRPLANE & NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL SPILLAGE WAS FOUND ON THE GROUND, ALTHOUGH THE MAIN FUEL TANK HAD RUPTURED & THE FUEL LINES HAD BROKEN. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS FOUND IN THE THE RIGHT WING TANK POSITION. THE PILOT'S LOG BOOK WAS NOT FOUND; HOWEVER, ON AN APPLICATION FOR A MEDICAL EXAM ON 7/28/88, HE REPORTED THAT HE HAD ABOUT 10,500 HRS OF FLIGHT TIME. THE PILOT HAD JUST PURCHASED THE AIRPLANE. RECORDS SHOWED THAT HE HAD FLOWN IT EIGHT HOURS SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,500 hours in all; 8 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 94 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 12, 1987; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N53 Stroudsburg PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.