- Date
- May 14, 1996, 15:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Pembroke Pines, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N28KJEzekiel Velocity 173
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960514010439A
- Case key
- 38018
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
loss of engine power for undetermined reason(s), resulting in a forced landing, and impact with a private residence and the ground.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Just after takeoff from runway 9L, the aircraft's engine lost power, and the pilot declared an emergency. Witnesses reported hearing a 'loud pop' before the power loss. A witness wrote that shortly after the power loss, 'within 2 seconds the aircraft appeared to go into the initial stage of a stall, the wings dipped slightly from side to side twice and the[n] appeared that the pilot attempted to do an immediate turnaround, heading north into the wind.' The pilot could not remember much about the accident due to his injuries. According to his statement, the '...engine went out on take off at approximately 100 feet. While trying to land on [a] road [the] landing gear struck [the] roof of [a] house.' The aircraft then impacted the ground and was extensively damaged. Refueling records showed that the pilot had put 10 gallons of fuel in the airplane before this flight. After the accident, a test run of the engine was performed. After fixing a crack in the fuel servo adapter mounting flange and adjusting the idle mixture, the engine ran without any discrepancies observed.
Factual narrative
On May 14, 1996, about 1515 eastern daylight time, a Velocity 173, experimental, homebuilt airplane, N28KJ, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91, personal, local flight, crashed in the vicinity of Pembroke Pines, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed, and the private pilot was seriously injured.
Just after takeoff on runway 9L, at the North Perry Airport, the airplane's engine lost power, and the pilot declared an emergency. Witnesses reported hearing a "loud pop" before the power loss. A witness wrote that shortly after the power loss, "within 2 seconds the aircraft appeared to go into a the initial stage of a stall, the wings dipped slightly from side to side twice and the[n] appeared that the pilot attempted to do an immediate turnaround, heading north into the wind." The airplane struck the roof of a private residence, and then the ground. No injuries were reported on the ground.
The pilot could not remember much about the accident due to his injuries. According to his statement written on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, "engine went out on take off at approximately 100 feet. While trying to land on [a] road [the] landing gear struck [the] roof of [a] house."
Refueling records showed that the pilot had put 10 gallons of fuel in the airplane before this flight.
On May 17, 1996, the airplane's engine was test run at Certified Engines, Inc., Opa Locka, Florida. After fixing a crack in the fuel servo adapter mounting flange and adjusting the idle mixture, the engine ran without any discrepancies observed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N28KJ
- Reported as
- Ezekiel Velocity 173 (VELOCITY 1)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 246
- Airframe hours
- 40
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Moses Ezekiel
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 1994 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- HWO
- Airport
- HWO · North Perry, runway 9L, 3,050 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 284 total · 80 in this make and model · 206 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HOW, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.