Premium research interface

The modern interface for aviation safety intelligence.

Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.

63k+
Reports indexed
1940-2026
Coverage
Recent
Last data refresh
Featured Report

Loading…

Loading featured report…

Loading…
Open Report

Safety trends by operating rule

Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.

Loading trend charts…

Browse the aviation graph

Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.

Last Data Update

By Decade

By Month

Aircraft Manufacturer

More manufacturers

Airports

More airports

Operators

More operators

About

Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.

The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.

The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.

FAQs

NTSB Report

April 30, 2016 · Maher Daniel J Velocity SE · N7044Q

Worcester, MA

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
April 30, 2016
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (2 uninjured)
Location
Worcester, MA
Aircraft
Maher Daniel J Velocity SE (1989)
Tail Number
N7044Q
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
ERA16LA177

The commercial pilot stated that, immediately after landing the experimental, amateur-built airplane, the nose landing gear (NLG) collapsed. Examination of the NLG revealed that the nosewheel and its mounting fork had separated. Further examination of the NLG fork revealed that it had fractured from overstress. The NLG fork was the original one installed in the airplane. Since that time, the manufacturer had determined that the original design was prone to shimmying, which could result in overstress fractures, and had twice modified the design to eliminate the failure. The new part design had not been installed on the airplane; therefore, the original NLG fork design, which was prone to fracture due to overstress, eventually fractured during the accident landing.

NTSB Probable Cause

Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Nose/tail landing gear-Failure - C

Full Narrative

On April 30, 2016, about 1556 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Velocity SEFG, N7044Q, was substantially damaged during landing at Worcester Regional Airport (ORH), Worcester, Massachusetts. The airline transport pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 According to the pilot, immediately after nose wheel contact upon landing, the nose wheel fork separated from the nose wheel landing gear strut, and the airplane began skidding on the bottom of the nose landing gear strut. After the separation of the nosewheel fork, the pilot applied held backpressure on the control stick, which resulted in a propeller strike. The pilot stated that he had purchased the airplane in November 2015. There were no preflight anomalies noted before the local area flight, and no mechanical or performance deficiencies before the final full-stop landing. There was no record of any maintenance done on the nose landing gear fork. Examination of photographs revealed the airplane rested on the nose landing gear strut with the nose wheel and its mounting fork separated. The nose wheel remained in the fork and the nose gear fork was fractured at the gear mount attach point. The propeller tips were damaged, and parallel slash marks consistent with a propeller strike were visible on the runway surface prior to where the airplane came to rest. The composite airframe structure at the nose landing gear strut attach point had also fractured, and had punctured the cockpit footwell, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Further examination of the nose landing gear fork revealed it fractured from overstress. The manufacturer stated that this part and design had been modified twice because of similar fractures, as it had been discovered that excessive nose landing gear shimmying would result in overstress fractures. The first redesign included a dampener consisting of bellville washers to reduce stress on the nose fork. The next iteration included a hydraulic dampener. In addition to changing the design of the nose fork, the new parts were made of a different material. The accident airplane did not have either modification installed , and was the original nose fork installed on the airplane.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time15:56 EDT
Nearest AirportWorcester Rgnl (0nm NNE)
Runway11
Runway Length7001 ft
Runway Width150 ft
Flight Plan FiledUnknown
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftMaher Daniel J Velocity SE
Tail NumberN7044Q
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsLycoming · IO-360 · Reciprocating · 180
Seats4

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (2 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured2
Total2
Crew 1Age 59 · First Class · None
Crew 2Third Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind170° @ 5 kt
Visibility10 sm
CeilingOvercast 7500 ft
Temperature / Dew Point61 F / 36 C
Altimeter30.15 inHg
Observation Time19:54
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data