Mechanical & Engine Failure · NTSB WPR10LA381
Advertising MGMT & Consulting Velocity Super XLRG5 — San Diego, CA
| Date | August 2, 2010 |
| Location | San Diego, CA |
| Aircraft | Advertising MGMT & Consulting Velocity Super XLRG5 (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Emergency descent Off-field or emergency landing |
| Pilot age | 45 |
| Pilot total time | 196 hrs · Low time |
| Time in type | 84 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2, 3 serious |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft structures-Doors-Passenger/crew doors-Not specified - C
What happened
In a postaccident interview, the pilot reported that he did not remember taxiing out for takeoff with the right passenger door open but that he did remember that the right door was open after takeoff and that he advised the control tower operator of his intention to return to the airport. The pilot recalled that, during the return maneuver, there was a vibration, as if the door had come off and struck the rear-mounted propeller, which prompted him to make an emergency landing on a nearby golf course. A witness at the airport reported seeing the right passenger door open during taxi and takeoff.
The right passenger door was located about 1 mile west-southwest of the accident site. A postaccident examination revealed that the door’s locking mechanism was intact and that the lower forward section of the door showed black rubber signature marks that were consistent with contact with the engine drive belt, which was found separated from the engine. Additionally, the cambered surfaces of each of the three propeller blades exhibited rubber impact marks. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preaccident anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A flight instructor reported that, during a postaccident conversation, the pilot told him that he simply missed locking the copilot door and that this resulted in the separation of the door from the airframe.