Amateur-built VELOCITY 173 ELITE accident near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, December 18, 1999
On December 18, 1999 at about 3:17 pm local time, a amateur-built VELOCITY 173 ELITE, registered N627KB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of an unknown maintenance person to comply with an Airworthiness Directive (replace center body bellows seal assembly and tube bushings) and Service Bulletin (replace fuel diaphragm) resulting in an in-flight power loss due to an over rich condition caused by the failure of the center body bellows seal assembly, and subsequent forced landing and in-flight collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 1999 · about 3:17 pm local time
- Place
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VELOCITY 173 ELITE VELOCITY 1
- Registration
- N627KB · registry record · serial DMO 375
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on approach for landing when the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power, and crashed during a forced landing. Examination of the airframe and engine assembly revealed no evidence of a precrash mechanical failure or malfunction. Visual inspection of the spark plugs revealed very black and sooty. Fuel was present in the flow divider but was not present in the line between the fuel servo and flow divider. The servo fuel injector was removed and examined. The fuel diaphragm had not been replaced. The servo fuel injector was placed in a test bench and a functional test performed. Fuel was pouring out of the venturi causing erratic air flow through the regulator and erratic air flow. The air cover and diaphragm was removed to determine the source of the fuel leak. The fuel diaphragm stem was bent. The center body was removed with the fuel diaphragm attached to the center body bellows. The bottom calibration nut was removed from the fuel diaphragm stem. The fuel diaphragm was removed from the bellows and a leakage check was performed. The bellows was split and air was leaking through the bellows. Appropriate AD's and SB's had not been complied with resulting in an in-flight power loss due to an over rich condition.
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
- Flight time: 70 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 87 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 88 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DCU Decatur AL
- Destination: MBT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:37 pm from MQY, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.