Amateur-built VELOCITY 173 accident near Pembroke Pines, Florida, May 14, 1996
On May 14, 1996 at about 7:15 pm local time, a amateur-built VELOCITY 173, registered N28KJ, was destroyed in an accident near Pembroke Pines, Florida (North Perry airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
loss of engine power for undetermined reason(s), resulting in a forced landing, and impact with a private residence and the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 14, 1996 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Pembroke Pines, Florida · North Perry · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VELOCITY 173 VELOCITY 1
- Registration
- N28KJ · no longer on the register · serial 246
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Just after takeoff from runway 9L, the aircraft's engine lost power, and the pilot declared an emergency. Witnesses reported hearing a 'loud pop' before the power loss. A witness wrote that shortly after the power loss, 'within 2 seconds the aircraft appeared to go into the initial stage of a stall, the wings dipped slightly from side to side twice and the[n] appeared that the pilot attempted to do an immediate turnaround, heading north into the wind.' The pilot could not remember much about the accident due to his injuries. According to his statement, the '...engine went out on take off at approximately 100 feet. While trying to land on [a] road [the] landing gear struck [the] roof of [a] house.' The aircraft then impacted the ground and was extensively damaged. Refueling records showed that the pilot had put 10 gallons of fuel in the airplane before this flight. After the accident, a test run of the engine was performed. After fixing a crack in the fuel servo adapter mounting flange and adjusting the idle mixture, the engine ran without any discrepancies observed.
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
- Flight time: 284 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 206 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1994; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HWO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9L, 3,050 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 pm from HOW, 1 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.