2002 – N954PB – Scott Bowers – Velocity SE/RG – Valkaria, FL – 1

After departure the flight turned left departing the traffic pattern. As the airplane was flying westbound away from the airport, witnesses saw it lose altitude. The airplane turned to an easterly heading back towards the airport, the witnesses said the airplane was very slow and wallowing, it appeared to be in an unusual attitude, with […]

Head Start Recap

Beth and I spent the week of 10 June to 18 June (2002) in Sebastian in the Head Start program at the Service Center. We had a great trip, and worked our butts off. Unfortunately, we didn’t really get to do the whole Florida-Tourist thing, but with the weather being pretty stormy the whole trip, […]

2001 – N658SE – Bob Wood – Velocity XL/FG – Sebastian, FL – 0

“BOB1” – Courtesy of Fred Kerfoot, via Andy Millin. Factory crash at Sebastian of a builder’s aircraft, from the head-start program. This was the first flight of the so-called “Brazilian” wings, which where built hollow (no foam cores) with ribs by some firm in Brazil (obviously). The wings were not properly built, as it turns […]

1999 – N19DW – Don White – Velocity SL/RG – Ft. Pierce, FL – 0

While maneuvering in cruise flight, the pilot/builder of the experimental airplane noticed a fluctuating fuel pressure gage and then the engine quit. The pilot executed a forced landing onto an interstate highway. Post crash examination revealed an empty right wing fuel tank and no other abnormality of the fuel system and engine. Post crash start […]

1998 – N96HV – Hugh Hyde – Velocity SE/RG – Sebastian, FL – 0

When the pilot of the new, kit-built airplane realized he had lost throttle control, he decided to land at the home field of the manufacturer. He shut down the engine in the landing pattern, but miscalculated the power off descent rate, and landed short of his intended landing runway. Subsequent examination of the engine by […]

1997 – N525V – Bill Richards – Velocity SE/RG – Valkaria, FL – 0

This airplane was involved in this earlier accident. The pilot stated that the engine lost power while maneuvering. According to the pilot’s statement, ‘everything was operating normal, 2500 RPM, 155 knots…2,000 [feet] MSL.’ He then turned north and ‘the engine quit abruptly…no sputtering or gradual loss of RPM.’ He attempted a force landing at a […]