N466MF

On December 29, 1998, at 1547 hours Pacific standard time, a Velocity 173E-RG, N466MF, veered off runway 28L on landing at Montgomery Field, San Diego, California, and collided with a parked Cessna 340, N6241X. The aircraft and the parked and unoccupied Cessna 340 sustained substantial damage. The private pilot and his two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight from Ryan Field in Tucson, Arizona, to Montgomery Field. This was the last leg of a cross-country flight, which originated the day before in Tampa, Florida. No flight plan was filed.

The pilot stated that he had experienced insufficient pitch control on landing at Tucson prior to the accident. He reported that he "found play in the elevator control," and was advised over the telephone by the aircraft designer, Velocity Inc., to add washers or spacers to the rear of the torque tube to remove the play. With the aid of a local pilot in Tucson, he added the washers and spacers to the rear of the torque tube.

The pilot further stated that upon attempting to flare, "the nose would not come up." The aircraft bounced, veered off the runway, skidded across a grass area, and collided tail first with the parked Cessna 340.

According to the pilot, "on January 2, 1999, several Velocity builders inspected the airplane and found that the front bearing of the aileron torque tube had come loose, thus preventing a full elevator down deflection."