Amateur-built VELOCITY accident near Ponte Vedra Bch, Florida, March 29, 1989
On March 29, 1989 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built VELOCITY, registered N81VA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ponte Vedra Bch, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE THROUGH AN OVERSIGHT TO REMOVE THE CANARD GAP SEALS PRIOR TO AGGRAVATED STALL TESTING WHICH RESULTED IN THE AIRCRAFT ENTERING AN UNCONTROLLABLE FLIGHT REGIME.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 1989 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ponte Vedra Bch, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VELOCITY
- Registration
- N81VA · registry record · serial DM0043
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR-BUILT ACFT WAS ON A TEST FLT AT 10,000 FT TO PERFORM SOME MANEUVERS WITH THE CG AT THE MOST REARWARD LIMITS. THE ACFT WAS PLACED INTO AN 'AGGRAVATED STALL' DURING WHICH THE ACFT ENTERED A 'DEEP STALL'. ALL CONVENTIONAL & UNCONVENTIONAL MEANS OF REGAINING CONTROL OF THE ACFT, INCLUDING THE PLT CLIMBING OUT OF THE COCKPIT & LEANING AS FAR FWD AS POSSIBLE, FAILED TO RECOVER CONTROL OF THE ACFT. AT ONE POINT, THE PLT CONSIDERED BAILING OUT, BUT CHANGED HIS MIND DUE TO THE ZERO BANK, ZERO FWD SPEED, ZERO YAW & SLOW DESCENT TOWARD THE OCEAN. AFTER THE HARD VERTICAL IMPACT, THE PLT RELEASED HIS HARNESS & STEPPED INTO THE WATER. THE ACFT WAS RECOVERED & AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE CANARD GAP SEALS WHICH HAD BEEN INSTALLED TO ENHANCE PITCH AUTHORITY OF THE CANARD ON THE PREV FLT, WERE STILL IN PLACE DUE TO AN OVERSIGHT. WITH THE GAP SEALS INSTALLED, THE CANARD PITCH AUTHORITY EXCEEDED THE AUTHORITY OF THE WING.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 11,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 110 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 20, 1989; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGJ St. Augustine FL at 8:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:49 pm from CRG, 10 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.