Amateur-built Velocity Super XLRG5 accident near San Diego, California, August 2, 2010
On August 2, 2010 at about 8:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Velocity Super XLRG5, registered N444YP, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near San Diego, California (Montgomery Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot did not close and secure the right passenger door, which resulted in an in-flight separation of the door and subsequent loss of engine power due to the door’s collision with the rear-mounted engine assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 2010 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- San Diego, California · Montgomery Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Velocity Super XLRG5
- Registration
- N444YP · no longer on the register · serial 3RX124
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In a postaccident interview, the pilot reported that he did not remember taxiing out for takeoff with the right passenger door open but that he did remember that the right door was open after takeoff and that he advised the control tower operator of his intention to return to the airport. The pilot recalled that, during the return maneuver, there was a vibration, as if the door had come off and struck the rear-mounted propeller, which prompted him to make an emergency landing on a nearby golf course. A witness at the airport reported seeing the right passenger door open during taxi and takeoff. The right passenger door was located about 1 mile west-southwest of the accident site. A postaccident examination revealed that the door’s locking mechanism was intact and that the lower forward section of the door showed black rubber signature marks that were consistent with contact with the engine drive belt, which was found separated from the engine. Additionally, the cambered surfaces of each of the three propeller blades exhibited rubber impact marks. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preaccident anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A flight instructor reported that, during a postaccident conversation, the pilot told him that he simply missed locking the copilot door and that this resulted in the separation of the door from the airframe.
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
What happened, in order
- Part(s) separation from AC during initial climb defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Doors › Passenger/crew doors › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 196 hours in all; 84 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 16, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 137 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 6, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental Motors Inc. IO-550-N (2) (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYF San Diego CA at 7:45 pm
- Destination: FUL Fullerton CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28R, 4,577 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MYF, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 2 |
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.