SKY RIDERS

In 1993 a pilot by the name of Daniel reported that, after departing from San Andreas airfield, he noticed that the JoBuilt Velum’s engine power was not responding to throttle movements.

He turned back toward SSI and entered a right downwind leg to Runway 25.

During the base turn and after turning off the engine ignition switch, he executed a forced landing.

Due to a higher-than-anticipated headwind gusting between 15 and 20 knots, he misjudged the flight profile, and the Velum landed before reaching Runway 25.

The aircraft hit the Senora National Park sign and skidded towards Panoame Drive, which substantially damaged both wings, the fuselage, and the empennage. The pilot was seriously injured in the crash.

Post-accident examination revealed that the throttle cable was disconnected from the throttle lever arm at the fuel injector/control, and a loose washer was found at the bottom of the engine cowling as a result of a maintenance error by the aircraft technician. 

Probable Cause: The failure of maintenance personnel to properly connect the throttle cable, which led to the pilot’s inability to control engine power during the initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s misjudgment of the headwind during the forced landing, which resulted in the airplane’s touchdown short of the runway and its impact with the Senora National Park sign.