Velline's BREEZY RLU-1 N255JL

Summary

On 10 October 2012 at about 22:15 local time, a Velline's BREEZY RLU-1 registered N255JL, operated by Addison Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Madison, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 October 2012 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Madison, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Madison Municipal Airport (52A)

Coordinates

33.6175, -83.4656

Aircraft

Velline's BREEZY RLU-1

Registration

N255JL

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Addison Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Madison → Madison

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13LA015

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed following a loss of engine power during takeoff for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, and the airplane’s subsequent aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Before takeoff, a witness observed the pilot performing a preflight inspection, during which the pilot appeared to check the fuel system for contaminants. The airplane subsequently departed and was observed to climb to between 150 and 200 feet above ground level before a witness heard a loud “bang” and noted black smoke trailing from the airplane. Additionally, several witnesses reported that the engine was “running rough.” The airplane continued to fly about the same altitude with the engine sputtering and running rough, emitting puffs of black smoke every 1 to 2 seconds. Several witnesses indicated that before the airplane flew past the departure end of the runway, it stalled, entered a spin, and impacted terrain. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed crankshaft, camshaft and valve train continuity. Examination of the ignition system revealed no discrepancies. The carburetor was removed and bench tested, which revealed that it produced a richer-than-specified fuel/air mixture at several throttle positions, including full throttle, which would be used for takeoff. However, it is unlikely that the overly rich fuel/air mixture caused the symptoms reported by the witnesses. Although weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power, the airplane was not operating at glide power during the accident takeoff. The investigation was unable to determine the cause of the power loss.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.