Amateur-built VELOCITY accident near Norfolk, Virginia, January 5, 2025
On January 5, 2025 at about 8:26 pm local time, a 1995 amateur-built VELOCITY, registered N160MH, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Norfolk, Virginia (Norfolk Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A landing gear collapse during landing in gusty crosswind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 5, 2025 · about 8:26 pm local time
- Place
- Norfolk, Virginia · Norfolk Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VELOCITY, built 1995
- Registration
- N160MH · registry record · serial DMO-302
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At the conclusion of an uneventful cross-country flight, the pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane entered the traffic pattern at the destination airport and extended the airplane’s landing gear. He then observed a normal “down and locked” indication on the airplane’s avionics and continued the landing approach. The pilot described that the wind was coming from the right during the approach, with a reported velocity of about 6 knots, gusting to 18 knots. Shortly after touching down on the runway, the pilot described that there was an abnormal vibration, after which he lost directional control of the airplane. He responded by applying full rudder and brake in an attempt to counter the crosswind. The airplane continued in an uncontrolled slide and drifted left until it came to rest at the left edge of the runway. The airplane’s main landing gear collapsed during the accident sequence and the lower aft and left side of the fuselage were substantially damaged. Additionally, the nose landing gear’s wheel separated at the fork during the accident sequence. Postaccident examination of the landing gear extension/retraction system revealed that it operated normally.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Unknown/Not determined
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,507 hours in all; 256 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 2,106 as pilot in command; 772 on instruments
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: unkn
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 813.9 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, December 17, 2024; 12 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-EXP (piston); 250 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FMY Fort Meyers FL at 4:07 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 23, 9,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.16 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 pm from ORF
Weather report (METAR): KORF 051951Z 30006G18KT 10SM CLR 07/M16 A3016 RMK AO2 SLP211 T00671161
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 3, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector's Statement, Landing Gear Examination | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA25LA090.