Accident Details
On July 31, 2008, at approximately 1438 eastern daylight time, an amateur-built Velocity 173RG, registered as N269VE, impacted a marsh area during climb out from St. Augustine Airport (SGJ) in St. Augustine, Florida. Both the commercial certificated pilot and his passenger, also a commercial pilot, were killed. The local flight was conducted as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
According to the St. Augustine Airport tower controller, after becoming airborne, the airplane made a hard left turn before reaching the departure end of the runway. It momentarily leveled out, then executed another hard left turn and impacted a marsh located northeast of the airport's VOR. No MAYDAY transmission was received.
Witness Account
A witness reported that the aircraft was for sale and that the purpose of the flight was a demonstration for the passenger, a prospective buyer. The aircraft had been tied down outside on the general aviation ramp and had been inactive for an undetermined extended period prior to the flight. The witness observed the airplane become airborne and ascend normally. At about 50 feet altitude, the engine lost power and began to surge. The airplane then leveled off, banked left, and impacted the ground northeast of the VOR.
Pilot Information
The 51-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for instrument airplane single-engine land, updated on March 21, 1997. He held a second-class medical certificate issued on January 3, 2007, with limitations for corrective lenses. According to his most recent medical application, he had logged 1,200 total flight hours. His personal logbooks were not recovered.
Aircraft Information
The two-seat, low-wing, retractable gear aircraft, serial number DM0269, was certified in 2007. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-360-C1F6 200-horsepower engine with a three-bladed MT-Propeller USA model P25NE. The aircraft's maintenance logbooks showed a conditional inspection completed on March 1, 2007, at a tachometer reading of 170.7 hours (airframe total time 170.7 hours).
Investigation and Engine Examination
An on-scene examination was conducted by an FAA inspector and a Textron Lycoming representative. The aircraft was fragmented, with a debris field extending over 100 feet. All major structural components and flight control surfaces were located, but flight control continuity could not be established due to impact damage. The forward portion of the airplane, including the cockpit, was fragmented and submerged in water. The rear fuselage, engine, and propeller remained together as an assembly. Two of the three propeller blades were damaged at the tips. The engine crankshaft was rotated by hand, establishing continuity of the crankshaft, camshaft, valve train, and accessory drives. All four cylinders produced compression. Internal examination using a lighted borescope revealed no preimpact anomalies. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction was found that would have prevented the engine from developing power. No fuel contamination was identified in the fuel lines and components aft of the firewall.
Postmortem and Toxicology
A postmortem examination performed on August 1, 2008, by the Office of the Medical Examiner, District 23, St. Augustine, Florida, reported the cause of death as blunt force trauma. Forensic toxicology conducted on specimens by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory found no ethanol in the liver or muscle, and no drugs in the liver.