Hinson Melvin J VELOCITY N160MH

Summary

On 5 January 2025 at about 20:26 local time, a Hinson Melvin J VELOCITY registered N160MH was involved in an accident near Norfolk, Virginia, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 January 2025 at 20:26

Classification

Accident

Location

Norfolk, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Norfolk Intl (ORF)

Coordinates

36.9001, -76.1947

Aircraft

Hinson Melvin J VELOCITY

Registration

N160MH

Category

Airplane

Year built

1995

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Meyers → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25LA090

Nobody was injured.

A landing gear collapse during landing in gusty crosswind conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

At the conclusion of an uneventful cross-country flight, the pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane entered the traffic pattern at the destination airport and extended the airplane’s landing gear. He then observed a normal “down and locked” indication on the airplane’s avionics and continued the landing approach. The pilot described that the wind was coming from the right during the approach, with a reported velocity of about 6 knots, gusting to 18 knots. Shortly after touching down on the runway, the pilot described that there was an abnormal vibration, after which he lost directional control of the airplane. He responded by applying full rudder and brake in an attempt to counter the crosswind. The airplane continued in an uncontrolled slide and drifted left until it came to rest at the left edge of the runway. The airplane’s main landing gear collapsed during the accident sequence and the lower aft and left side of the fuselage were substantially damaged. Additionally, the nose landing gear’s wheel separated at the fork during the accident sequence. Postaccident examination of the landing gear extension/retraction system revealed that it operated normally.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.