History of Flight
On February 11, 2009, at 1505 eastern standard time, a Liberty XL-2, registration N513XL, was substantially damaged during landing at Malcolm McKinnon Airport (SSI) in Brunswick, Georgia. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The flight school owner who operated the airplane reported that the pilot was completing a long cross-country flight in preparation for his instrument rating checkride. The pilot had departed from North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport (F45) in West Palm Beach, Florida, flown to Deland Municipal Airport (DED) in Deland, Florida, and then to SSI, with the intention of returning to F45.
According to the pilot's report to his flight instructor, during landing on runway 34, the airplane bounced twice, and the propeller struck the ground. The pilot initiated a go-around and then decided to land on the perpendicular runway. The airplane had little airspeed and a low altitude, and during the left turn, it stalled and slammed into the ground on runway 22. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
A witness observed the airplane on final approach to runway 34. The witness did not see the airplane touchdown but observed it power up and perform a go-around or touch-and-go. As the airplane passed the witness's position on the ramp, the witness saw the nose wheel cover broken and hanging down under the nose wheel. The witness reported that the airplane did not appear to be climbing as fast as it should and appeared to be almost stalling. The airplane then turned left at the departure end of runway 34 and sharply lost altitude, impacting nose-down on runway 22.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and rotorcraft-helicopter. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on September 12, 2007. At the time of the accident, the pilot reported 245 hours of total flight experience, with 26 hours in the accident airplane make and model. He also reported 108 hours of total flight experience in the previous 90 days and 45 hours in the previous 30 days.
Aircraft Information
The Liberty XL-2 was a single-engine airplane powered by a Continental IO-240 engine. It was a two-seat, low-wing airplane constructed mostly of carbon fiber. The airplane was manufactured in 2005 and received its airworthiness certificate on January 4, 2006. Its most recent inspection was completed on January 21, 2010, at which time the aircraft had accumulated 436 hours of total flight time.
Meteorological Information
The weather recorded at SSI at 1453 included wind from 280 degrees at 6 knots, clear skies, and visibility 10 miles.
Wreckage and Impact Information
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the runway and airplane after the accident. Damage to the airplane and markings on the runway indicated that the airplane's right wingtip and propeller struck runway 34 left of centerline while the airplane was moving laterally at a 45-degree angle to the runway. After the initial point of impact on runway 34, the airplane continued about 150 feet and bounced again. It then traveled about half a mile and impacted the intersecting runway (runway 22), substantially damaging the left wing.
Examination of the airplane revealed damage to the underside of the right wingtip and buckling of the left wing. The nose wheel landing gear was bent to the right, and examination of the gear housing showed that all four bolts were sheared in overstress. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to all flight control surfaces.
Organizational and Management Information
The flight school operated a fleet consisting of Cessna 152, Cessna 172, Diamond DA-40, Grumman Cheetah, Liberty XL-2, Piper PA-18, Piper PA-28, Piper PA-23, and Pitts S-2 aircraft.
Additional Information
In April 2008, the FAA Small Airplane Directorate formed a fact-finding investigation (FFI) team to conduct a formal, independent investigation of safety allegations received from a U.S. flight school against Liberty Aerospace Incorporated for the Model XL-2 airplane. The investigation was completed in July 2008, and the FFI report was published in September 2008. The team comprised individuals from different FAA organizations and gathered information through visits, interviews, flight evaluations, and various database and document reviews. The team worked with the complainant flight school, Liberty Aircraft, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) of Australia, different flight school operators and maintenance personnel, and various FAA organizations.
The complainant argued that it takes approximately 25 hours to solo a student pilot in the Model XL-2 and typically 15 hours in the Cessna Model 150. Other flight schools reported that the airplane is sensitive on pitch and challenging for students to get used to, especially on landing, and that time to solo flight varied between schools from a low of approximately 12 hours to a high of 22 hours, with an average of approximately 18 hours. FAA test pilots stated that it is a fairly decent challenge to get a good flare in the Model XL-2 and that for a pilot with little experience, it may be tougher. They noted that the all-movable stabilator provides a lot of elevator power, and if the pilot is a little fast entering the flare, it is extremely easy to over control and get into a porpoise situation.
The FFI team's findings included that the FAA Atlanta Certification Office and FAA Orlando Manufacturing Inspections District Office provided appropriate oversight; the 14 CFR Part 23 certification requirements related to the complainant's safety concerns were reviewed and determined to be in compliance; no specific safety concerns were found that had not been addressed; no safety-related items discovered warranted a special certification review; the Model XL-2 would benefit from FAA Industry Training Standards scenario-based training; the airplane controls are more sensitive than other training airplanes but meet Part 23 requirements and are acceptable for training; other flight schools operate the Model XL-2 successfully; and the Model XL-2 accident/incident rates are comparable to those of similar airplanes. The FFI team pilots noted that control responsiveness and crispness are still apparent at minimum controllable airspeeds associated with the landing flare, potentially leading to overcontrolling, and that a pilot attempting to recover from porpoising should immediately initiate a go-around, with proper training and experience being the best recovery techniques.