Amateur-built Velocity Jet 900 accident near Millbrook, New York, May 24, 2006
On May 24, 2006 at about 10:10 pm local time, a amateur-built Velocity Jet 900, registered N289AE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Millbrook, New York. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot/owner's inadequate preflight which resulted in a partial loss of engine power due to a clogged fuel vent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 2006 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Millbrook, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Velocity Jet 900
- Registration
- N289AE · no longer on the register · serial AE-125
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner/builder departed on his first solo flight in the homebuilt, jet-powered, Velocity Jet 900 airplane with no jet airplane experience or training. After takeoff, the airplane climbed above traffic pattern altitude at "4 to 5 thousand feet-per-minute" and accelerated above 200 knots on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. The pilot reduced power to flight idle to descend and complete the traffic pattern for landing. The airplane was "low" on the base leg of the pattern, the pilot advanced the throttle, the engine did not accelerate, but continued to run at the flight idle setting. As the airplane approached the runway, "I got too slow, lost control, and crashed 100 feet short of the runway." Examination of the wreckage revealed the fuel tank vent was clogged with dirt and insect remains. There were no other deficiencies noted.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 984 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: General Electric T58-8F (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 44N Millbrook NY at 10:05 pm
- Destination: 44N
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.