Amateur-built VELOCITY 173 RG accident near Valkaria, Florida, February 1, 1997
On February 1, 1997 at about 5:26 pm local time, a amateur-built VELOCITY 173 RG, registered N525V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Valkaria, Florida. It was a personal flight 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
a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 1, 1997 · about 5:26 pm local time
- Place
- Valkaria, 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 173 RG VELOCITY 1
- Registration
- N525V · registry record · serial DMO248
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that the engine lost power while maneuvering. According to the pilot's statement, 'everything was operating normal, 2500 RPM, 155 knots...2,000 [feet] MSL.' He then turned north and 'the engine quit abruptly...no sputtering or gradual loss of RPM.' He attempted a force landing at a nearby airport 'in hopes of deadsticking [sic] it onto the runway.' The flight landed about 1/2 mile short of runway 14, and impacted into palmettos and pine trees. The airplane's engine was examined and run. The examination and engine run did not reveal any discrepancies.
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: 956 hours in all; 81 in this make and model; 768 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 128 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 8, 1996; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MBL Melbourne FL at 4:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from MLB
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.
Other NTSB records under N525V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.