Velocity INC SE-FG accident near Chipley, Florida, October 9, 2008
On October 9, 2008 at about 10:31 pm local time, a Velocity INC SE-FG, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N246RR, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Chipley, Florida. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight fuel planning, resulting in loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2008 · about 10:31 pm local time
- Place
- Chipley, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Velocity INC SE-FG, amateur-built
- Registration
- N246RR · no longer on the register · serial SFG-037
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he began a landing descent for a planned fuel stop. He reported that the left tank was low, while the right tank had more than one-half tank of fuel. At 7,000 feet msl in the descent, the engine lost power and quit. He was unable to glide to an airport, so he prepared for landing on a road. During the landing, he steered the airplane to avoid an oncoming truck. The left wing struck a pole, resulting in substantial damage. Both main wing fuel tanks gravity feed to a five-gallon sump tank, and an FAA inspector was able to drain approximately two gallons of fuel from the sump tank at the accident site; no fuel could be drained from the main tanks. The tank sight gauges indicated zero in the left tank and well below the lowest mark in the right tank. An additional 4.75 gallons of fuel was recovered during disassembly of the airplane for transport. Inspection of the fuel manifold revealed no evidence of fuel. The owner's representative stated that the low-profile wing tanks would have unusable fuel in a nose-low attitude, since the main tank fuel drains are located aft and inboard on the tank.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (descent)
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (descent)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 4,200 as pilot in command; 3,100 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 18, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 187 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 16, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1E6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7F3 Caddo Mills TX at 7:30 pm
- Destination: KTLH Tallahassee FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 9:55 pm from KTLH, 64 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.