Amateur-built VELOCITY accident near Worcester, Massachusetts, April 30, 2016
On April 30, 2016 at about 7:56 pm local time, a 1989 amateur-built VELOCITY, registered N7044Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Worcester, Massachusetts (Worcester Rgnl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The overstress failure of the nose landing gear fork assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 2016 · about 7:56 pm local time
- Place
- Worcester, Massachusetts · Worcester Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VELOCITY SE, built 1989
- Registration
- N7044Q · registry record · serial DM100
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot stated that, immediately after landing the experimental, amateur-built airplane, the nose landing gear (NLG) collapsed. Examination of the NLG revealed that the nosewheel and its mounting fork had separated. Further examination of the NLG fork revealed that it had fractured from overstress. The NLG fork was the original one installed in the airplane. Since that time, the manufacturer had determined that the original design was prone to shimmying, which could result in overstress fractures, and had twice modified the design to eliminate the failure. The new part design had not been installed on the airplane; therefore, the original NLG fork design, which was prone to fracture due to overstress, eventually fractured during the accident landing.
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
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 23,000 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 4,700 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 870 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 3, 2015
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORH Worcester MA
- Destination: ORH Worcester MA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 11, 7,001 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from KORH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N7044Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.