According to the owner of the homebuilt Velocity the airplane suffered a landing accident in 2004 and was purchased by a salvage facility. That facility removed the engine and avionics, then sold it to the previous owner, who installed a newly overhauled engine equipped with a turbocharger.
After the current owner purchased the airplane, he installed a new propeller and avionics.
Due to the modifications, an FAA designated airworthiness representative (DAR) inspected the airplane, issued an amended airworthiness certificate with revised operating limitations, and endorsed the airframe logbook on April 1, 2023. The accident flight on April 15 was the first flight since that endorsement.
The owner told investigators that he was a private pilot with about 90 hours of flight experience, including 10 hours in the make and model airplane.
Since he had little experience, he hired the accident pilot to fly the first flight since the modifications/DAR endorsement. The accident pilot had about 450 hours.
The owner told investigators the accident pilot inspected the airplane for about 1.5 hours before takeoff.
He saw the airplane takeoff on Runway 26, a 5,500-foot-long runway at the airport in Andrews, North Carolina, but subsequently lost sight of it behind buildings.
Witnesses reported that the airplane took off and climbed about 300 feet above ground level while flying a left traffic pattern back to Runway 26. Near the crosswind to downwind turn, the engine sounded loud, and the airplane descended into a wooded field and a post-crash fire ensued. The commercial pilot died in the crash.
The owner told investigators the engine was equipped with a fixed-pitch cruise propeller. With the turbocharger engaged, the engine would obtain 2,300 rpm. However, with the turbocharger bypassed, the engine would only obtain about 2,050 rpm.
The owner added that, at 2,050 rpm, the airplane would not be able to fly with one pilot and full fuel, which it had for the accident takeoff.
A spring switch in the cockpit controlled the turbocharger wastegate allowing the pilot to select whether the turbocharger was engaged or bypassed or midrange.
The owner provided a video that he recorded of a portion of the takeoff. Review of the video revealed that during the takeoff roll the airplane accelerated slower than normal, used more runway than normal, and lifted off the runway in a nose-high attitude. The airplane then descended back to the runway and bounced before lifting off nose-high again toward the end of the runway, where the video ended.
The wreckage came to rest inverted, oriented about a 75° magnetic heading. The left wing was separated and found against a tree inverted at the beginning of the debris path. The main wreckage was at the end of the 50-foot-long debris path and consumed by fire.
No cockpit controls or instrumentation was identified. No seats or restraints were identified.
The left aileron and left rudder separated and were recovered near the left wing. The right wing and canard remained with the main wreckage and were consumed by fire. Flight control continuity and trim continuity could not be verified due to fire damage.
The engine came to rest inverted and separated from the airframe. The two-blade propeller remained attached to the hub. One blade appeared undamaged while the other blade exhibited charring and tip separation.
The turbocharger wastegate was found in an open position.
The turbocharger was further examined following wreckage recovery. It exhibited thermal damage and the turbine would not initially rotate. WD-40 lubricant was applied to the turbine side and compressor side and the unit sat for several minutes. The turbine and its shaft then rotated freely by hand, however the compressor was melted and did not turn along with the shaft.
The compressor side was disassembled for further examination. No scoring was noted on the compressor housing and all compressor wheel blades were intact. The compressor nut was found about two threads loose. The internal housing of the compressor wheel and its corresponding position on the shaft were examined and no rotational scoring was noted.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to engage the turbocharger for takeoff and his improper decision to continue the takeoff with partial power, rather than reject the takeoff.
To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.
This April 2023 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
The fact that someone died in this accident should have been written in the first paragraph.
Failure to engage turbocharger fatal…. that was the first clue JR.
Say CP had 450 hours. Assume that’s TT; but says nothing about Time in Type or mod quals ….
So many questions about this engine/propeller/turbocharger setup; I don’t know where to begin. Help me out here.
I’m also confused…
Just to confirm:
We have a 2,300 pound plane … operating at a relatively low D.A. …with a 180-horsepower Lycoming IO-360-A1D (2,700 RPM redline) that would ONLY turn @ 2,050 RPM…unless the (aftermarket) turbocharger was ‘engaged’?????
And then…it could only hit 2,300 RPM? That must have been one heck of a “cruise” prop!
Gonna need Mike Busch to explain this one…