Amateur-built VELOCITY 173 accident near Maricopa, Arizona, March 25, 2013
On March 25, 2013 at about 8:00 pm local time, a amateur-built VELOCITY 173, registered N33SV, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Maricopa, Arizona (Pegasus Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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 reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the throttle body revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 2013 · about 8:00 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Maricopa, Arizona · Pegasus Airpark · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built VELOCITY 173
- Registration
- N33SV · registry record · serial DMO 209
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, after about 30 minutes in cruise flight, the engine began to run roughly, followed by a loss of power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine twice but was unsuccessful. He then initiated an emergency landing on a dirt road. During the landing roll, the left wing struck an irrigation pipe, which resulted in the airplane departing the road and coming to rest in a field. A postaccident engine examination revealed that the engine was modified with an Ellison throttle body under an experimental, amateur-built airworthiness certificate. Attempts to run the engine with the Ellison throttle body installed were unsuccessful. Once the throttle body was removed, the engine successfully started. An examination and teardown of the throttle body did not reveal any anomalies that would have caused the throttle body to malfunction.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 23,000 hours in all; 210 in this make and model; 135 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 11,000 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 31, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 450 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 26, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-EXP (piston); 900 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5AZ3 Queen Creek AZ at 7:30 pm
- Destination: 5AZ3 Queen Creek AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 8:15 pm from CGZ, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 15, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - Eric Hasslacher (FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N33SV the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N33SV on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-EXP 1,068 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Pegasus Airpark · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 468 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,426 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N33SV 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR13LA161.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.