- Date
- August 12, 1985, 22:06 local (Aug 13, 1985, 02:06 UTC)
- Place
- Woodbridge, VA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8242RBellanca 17-31A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11139
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft departed saratoga springs, NY, en route to manassas, VA. Wx was VFR and as the acft approached gaithersburg, MD, at 2132 LCL the plt contacted dulles apch for vectors through the area to manassas. The acft was issued a heading to manassas. Shortly thereafter the plt reported having manassas in sight. The the plt then made a visual apch to rwy 01 at Woodbridge aprt. Although a witness reported hearing the plt make radio calls that he was entering the patternat manassas, he reported never seeing an acft in the manassas traffic pattern. According to the surviving passenger, theplt had trouble getting the rwy lights to activate at the arpt (Woodbridge) and a go-around was attempted. He next recalled seeing trees and the acft impacting the trees. The acft contacted the terrain in a nose down attitude aprx 375 ft north of the departure end of rwy 01 at Woodbridge arpt. Woodbridge has low intensity rwy lights which are on from dusk to 0400Z. Manassas had radio operated medium intensity rwy lights.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8242R
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-31A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32.87
- Airframe hours
- 1,761
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1E5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- H. E. Johnson
- Registered owner
- Airways Transportation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 6, 1985 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- 5B2 · Saratoga Sprgs, NY
- Destination
- W10 · Manassas, VA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- W22 · Woodbridge, runway 1, 2,250 × 45 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 508 total · 64 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 250° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAD, 10 nm away