Amateur-built VELOCITY 173E-RG accident near San Diego, California, December 29, 1998
On December 29, 1998 at about 11:47 pm local time, a amateur-built VELOCITY 173E-RG, registered N466MF, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Diego, California (Montgomery Field). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate modification to the control systems, which resulted in a restricted elevator control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 1998 · about 11:47 pm local time
- Place
- San Diego, California · Montgomery Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VELOCITY 173E-RG VELOCITY 1
- Registration
- N466MF · no longer on the register · serial DMO-326
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he had experienced insufficient pitch control on landing at Tucson, Arizona, prior to the accident. He reported that he 'found play in the elevator control,' and was advised over the telephone by Velocity Inc. to add washers or spacers to the rear of the torque tube to remove the play. With the aid of a local pilot in Tucson, he added the washers and spacers to the rear of the torque tube. The pilot further stated that upon attempting to flare at Montgomery Field, 'the nose would not come up.' The aircraft bounced, veered off the runway, skidded across a grass area, and collided tail first with a parked Cessna 340. According to the pilot, on January 2, 1999, builders from Velocity Inc. inspected the airplane, and found that 'the front bearing of the aileron torque tube had come loose, thus preventing a full elevator down deflection.'
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 398 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 331 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 70 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Franklin 6A-350C1L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RYN Tucson AZ at 9:10 pm
- Destination: MYF
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28L, 3,399 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from MYF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.