Amateur-built Velocity XLRG incident near Atlanta, Georgia, October 2, 2014
On October 2, 2014 at about 1:05 am local time, a 2002 amateur-built Velocity XLRG, registered N301EF, suffered minor damage in an incident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Atlanta, Georgia (Cobb County-Mc Collum Field). It was a personal 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 failure to maintain directional control during a hard landing, which resulted in the fracture of the nose landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 2014 · about 1:05 am local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Cobb County-Mc Collum Field · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Velocity XLRG, built 2002
- Registration
- N301EF · registry record · serial 3RX105
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the flight was to perform three takeoffs and landings at night. The pilot stated that the first takeoff and landing was uneventful and that, at touchdown, he used aerodynamic braking to slow the airplane by keeping its nose off the runway as long as possible. He added that the second landing was faster, that more runway was used, and that the nose landing gear (NLG) touched down "harder" than during the first landing. After the NLG touched down, the airplane pulled right and developed a shimmy. The pilot subsequently lost directional control of the airplane, and the NLG collapsed. Examination of the fracture surfaces on the NLG revealed features consistent with ductile overstress fracture. The overall fracture pattern was consistent with fracture under a lateral bending load.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 926 hours in all; 774 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 330 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 26, 2014; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550 SERIES (piston); 65 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RYY Atlanta GA at 1:00 am
- Destination: RYY Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 6,295 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 1:20 am from RYY
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.