Amateur-built Velocity RG accident near Stateboro, Georgia, March 5, 2019
On March 5, 2019 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 1995 amateur-built Velocity RG, registered N101WV, was destroyed in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Stateboro, Georgia (Statesboro-Bulloch County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of airplane control while on final approach in gusty wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 2019 · about 8:00 pm local time · cases in 2019
- Place
- Stateboro, Georgia · Statesboro-Bulloch County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Velocity RG, built 1995
- Registration
- N101WV · registry record · serial DMO134
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and instructor were on final approach for landing in gusting wind conditions when, about 20 ft above the ground, the airplane's nose dropped and the airplane abruptly lost 20 knots of airspeed. They initiated a go-around, but the airplane's landing gear impacted the runway approach lights, and the airplane subsequently impacted the runway and departed the right side; a postcrash fire consumed a majority of the airplane. Given the wind conditions, the abrupt loss of airspeed, and the subsequent loss of pitch control, it is likely that the airplane encountered windshear while on short final approach with insufficent altitude available to recover.
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
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,232 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 2,014 as pilot in command; 305 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 23, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,300 hours in all; 2.5 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 1, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,357.6 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 17, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-X (piston); 1,358 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Mission Hardware Ltd Co
The flight
- Departed from: SAV Savannah GA at 7:00 pm
- Destination: TBR Stateboro GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from TBR, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Front view of the wreckage.
Photo 2 – View of the landing lights, the gouges in the ground and runway in the background.
Photo 3 – Right side view of the wreckage.The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on April 3, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statements | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record – CFI | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Wreckage Diagrams | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N101WV on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-X 8,559 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Statesboro-Bulloch County · nearest airport
- Savannah/Hilton Head International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,138 since 1982 · 361 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,806 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA19LA119.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.