Amateur-built VELOCITY XL RG N7778M accident near Columbia, South Carolina

Probable cause

A landing gear collapse during landing.

NTSB analysis

According to the pilot, he was selling the experimental amateur-built airplane and delivering it to the new owner at the time of the accident. During the landing roll, the airplane’s retractable main landing gear collapsed, followed by the nose landing gear collapsing a few seconds later. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the bottom of the fuselage. After the accident, aircraft recovery personnel lifted the airplane and all three-landing gear came down and locked into place. A mechanic then placed the airplane on jacks in a hangar and cycled the landing gear handle to the up position. The main landing gear raised and locked into place. The nose landing gear started to retract but the actuator was bent from impact and did not cycle all the way up. The landing gear handle was lowered to the down position, and the main landing gear came down and locked into place. The nose landing gear came down and locked into place. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were identified with the airplane during the examination.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA25LA298 for the full record.