M-Squared SPRINT 1000 accident near Madeira Beach, FL
On September 5, 2009, a M-Squared SPRINT 1000 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Madeira Beach, FL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 5, 2009
- Place
- Madeira Beach, FL
- Aircraft
- M-Squared SPRINT 1000 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 27.793°N, 82.779°W
- NTSB ID
- 20090908X11426
Official records · ERA09LA502
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 5, 2009, about 0940 eastern daylight time, an experimental light sport M-Squared Sprint 1000, N185SQ, was destroyed when it impacted water in Madeira Beach, Florida. The certificated private pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight that originated at Lake Seminole, Seminole, Florida. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to the county sheriff's incident report, one witness, a kayaker in the area, observed the airplane flying in his vicinity before landing on the water. It then water-taxied for several minutes before taking off again. The witness subsequently saw the airplane climb to about 200 to 300 feet before hearing a "pop" and seeing the airplane head straight down and impact the water. Another witness also heard a "pop," then looked up to see the airplane "plunging toward the water" from an altitude of 300 feet. A third witness also heard the pop, and saw the airplane "nose dive" into the water. Two other witnesses observed the airplane and saw "something" happen to the airplane's propeller, then observed that parts "came off" the engine area. They then saw a parachute start to deploy before the airplane impacted the water. In their statements, none of the witnesses indicated the presence of birds in the vicinity of the accident site. The owner of the company that recovered the airplane from the water stated that a number of people had told him that they
Probable cause
A loss of torque to the gearbox engine-side coupling flange bolts, which resulted in separation of the gearbox and propeller from the engine and the subsequent severing of the airplane's tail structure.
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Browse: Florida
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
