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| Date: | Thursday 26 March 1998 |
| Time: | 18:10 LT |
| Type: |  Velocity 173 RG Elite |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N173VE |
| MSN: | 301 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 116 hours |
| Engine model: | Franklin 6A-350-C1R |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | N. Little Rock , AR -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | (1M1) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The experimental homebuilt airplane was destroyed when it impacted trees following a loss of engine power during the takeoff/initial climb. Several witnesses reported that the engine sputtered then it lost power. Post-accident metallurgical examination revealed radial and circumferential cracks on the valve seat head of the #3 exhaust valve. The combustion chamber face of the valve contained sites of surface tearing where there was a lack of fusion of the coating to the base metal. Voids at the interface between the coating and the base material contained aluminum oxide, a material used during surface preparation operation.
Probable Cause: Inadequate fusion between the valve stem and head due to inadequate quality control during construction of the exhaust valve for the number three cylinder. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW98FA165
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 07-Apr-2024 14:16 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
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