Liberty Aerospace Incorporated XL-2 accident near Merritt Island, FL
On June 10, 2014, a Liberty Aerospace Incorporated XL-2 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Merritt Island, FL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 10, 2014
- Place
- Merritt Island, FL
- Aircraft
- Liberty Aerospace Incorporated XL-2 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 28.368°N, 80.688°W
- NTSB ID
- 20140609X22015
Official records · ERA14FA282
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 9, 2014, about 2036 eastern daylight time, a Liberty Aerospace, Incorporated XL-2, N516XL, crashed in a residential area approximately 1.5 nautical miles north-northwest of Merritt Island Airport (COI), Merritt Island, Florida. Both occupants were fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to Spatial, Inc., and operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that originated from COI. The purpose of the flight was a checkout of an individual by the airplane owner seated in the right seat. The owner's girlfriend provided a timeline indicating the last text message she received from him was at 1808, indicating he was on his way to the checkride. About 2 minutes later, or at 1810, the left seat occupant left a voice mail message indicating that he was at the end of his driveway waiting for the right seat occupant to drive past. At 1930, a friend reported seeing the airplane on a taxiway at COI with the doors open and no-one nearby. The girlfriend further reported that she had a commitment with her boyfriend at 2000 hours that day. One witness reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector-in-charge seeing the airplane flying about 200 feet above ground level, then bank to the east. He observed the nose drop and the airplane went straight down. He reported the engine popped then became quiet and popped again. The witnesses estimated he was approximate
Probable cause
The failure of the pilots to maintain airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the loss of engine power for a reason that could not be determined by the postaccident examination, which was limited due to impact damage.
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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.
