History of Flight
On June 9, 2014, about 2036 eastern daylight time, a Liberty Aerospace XL-2, registration N516XL, crashed in a residential area approximately 1.5 nautical miles north-northwest of Merritt Island Airport (COI), Merritt Island, Florida. The airplane was destroyed, and both occupants sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight, with no flight plan filed. The airplane departed from COI for a local flight.
The purpose of the flight was a checkout of an individual by the airplane owner, who was seated in the right seat. The owner's girlfriend reported the last text message from him was at 1808, indicating he was on his way to the checkride. At 1810, the left-seat occupant left a voicemail stating he was at the end of his driveway waiting for the right-seat occupant to drive past. At 1930, a friend saw the airplane on a taxiway at COI with doors open and no one nearby.
Witnesses reported seeing the airplane at low altitude, then descending steeply. One witness saw the airplane at about 200 feet above ground level, bank east, then nose drop and go straight down. He heard the engine pop, then quiet, then pop again. Another witness observed the airplane at 300-400 feet spinning nose down. A third witness heard a swooshing sound, noted the engine was not running, and saw the airplane go straight down. The homeowner heard a loud sound, called 911 at 2036, and did not hear an engine before impact. He found no strong fuel smell.
Radar data from Orlando Approach Control showed an uncorrelated target at 2010:14 at 200 feet msl near COI. The flight remained in left traffic, then flew north, changing direction. Between 2035:05 and 2035:19, it flew northwest at 1,300-1,400 feet msl. At 2035:24, a primary radar return appeared. The last uncorrelated target at 2035:29 was at 500 feet msl, descending 800 feet in 10 seconds, a calculated average rate of 4,800 feet per minute. The accident site was about 130 feet from the last radar return.
Personnel Information
The left-seat occupant, age 65, held a private pilot certificate with single- and multi-engine land ratings issued August 29, 2013, and a third-class medical certificate with a limitation for corrective lenses, issued July 2, 2012. He reported 30 total hours on his medical application. He had no enforcement actions. His wife described him as in very good health, taking no medication, with a physical six months earlier.
The right-seat occupant, age 47, held an airline transport pilot certificate with multi-engine land rating issued April 3, 2014, and a commercial pilot certificate with single- and multi-engine land and instrument ratings issued January 30, 2013. He held a first-class medical certificate with a limitation to wear corrective lenses, issued December 2, 2013. He reported 2,140 total hours on his last medical application. No enforcement actions were recorded. His son stated he was in excellent health, and his girlfriend noted he took ibuprofen as needed for a sore back.
A logbook found in the wreckage showed the right-seat occupant logged flights from June 20, 2010, to April 6, 2014, including time in a Cessna 150, Cessna 172, Piper PA-28R, Piper PA-23-250, Fairchild SA-227, Casa 212, and the accident airplane. Total logged time was about 863 hours, with about 41 hours as pilot-in-command in the accident airplane. The first logged flight in the accident airplane was January 11, 2013, and the last was April 6, 2014. Additional flights after that date, up to June 2, 2014, added 3.2 hours, for a total of 43.7 hours in type.
Aircraft Information
The Liberty Aerospace XL-2, serial number 0011, was manufactured in 2006, powered by a 125-horsepower Continental Motors IOF-240-B engine with a Full Authority Digital Electronic Control (FADEC) system. It had a Sensenich W69EK7-63G fixed-pitch propeller. Service Instruction Letter (SIL) 06-006 was complied with on June 26, 2007, installing an Aerosance engine data interface. The auxiliary fuel pump had no removal or repair entry in the logbook.
Annual inspection was completed on September 15, 2013, at 615.6 total hours. No further entries were made after this inspection. An entry dated May 23, 2008, recorded 570.8 hours, while an entry dated January 7, 2013, recorded 568.9 hours, consistent with the airplane not being operated for over 4 years 7 months. The right-seat occupant, as president of Spatial, Inc., purchased the airplane per FAA registration dated January 11, 2013. The next maintenance entry was August 2, 2013, at 613.4 hours.
An aircraft flight log found in the wreckage documented flights from February 2, 2013, to June 2, 2014. After the annual inspection, entries noted intermittent FADEC caution and rough engine on December 19, 2013, intermittent flap position indicator on December 19 and 23, 2013, FADEC panel flickering on December 20-21, 2013, and FADEC caution flash on January 17, 2014. No FADEC entries appeared after January 19, 2014. The last entry on June 2, 2014, reported no discrepancies, 14 gallons of fuel added, and ending time 667.0 hours.
SIL RKI-SIL-08-001 had not been complied with; therefore, the gross weight was 1,653 pounds.
Meteorological Information
The terminal area forecast for COF (Patrick Air Force Base) issued at 1800 UTC on June 9, 2014, predicted wind from 100° at 12 knots, visibility >6 miles, scattered clouds at 3,000 and 10,000 feet. Temporary conditions between 1900-2300 UTC included broken clouds at 3,000 feet and overcast at 5,000 feet. After 2300 UTC, wind from 140° at 9 knots, visibility >6 miles, few clouds at 3,000 feet, scattered at 5,000 feet.
A surface observation at COF at 2058, about 22 minutes after the accident, reported wind from 120° at 6 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies, temperature 27°C, dew point 24°C, altimeter 29.97 inHg. The accident site was about 9 nautical miles at 334° from COF. Sunset occurred at 2019, end of civil twilight at 2046.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane crashed in the side yard of a residence in a high-density residential area. The wreckage was located at 28°22.083' N, 080°41.252' W, upright with all essential parts present. The airplane came to rest on a magnetic heading of 266°, with the empennage against a 6-foot fence. Power lines about 20 feet above ground were undamaged, and minimal damage occurred to the house about 13 feet west of the fence. A propeller blade tip extended from a 12-inch-deep impact crater. The nose landing gear was structurally separated.
No fire was observed on any component. The fuel tank was breached at the bottom. First responders cut the left wing aft spar during recovery. Soil samples showed fuel detected 5 feet below the surface at the water table level.
Post-recovery inspection revealed the empennage separated but wings attached. All flight control surfaces remained attached. The flap drive cross tube was separated, and the flap actuator was extended 31/32 inch (flaps retracted). Rudder impact marks matched stabilator contact. Pitch trim actuator extended 11/16 inch (trim tab trailing edge up). Control continuity was confirmed for ailerons, rudder, and stabilator, though multiple pushrods were fractured or bent.
The cockpit was extensively damaged. A checklist was found open to the "Engine Runup" page. The ignition key was in the both position and bent. The FADEC Power A and B switches were in the off position, with the A switch damaged. The fuel boost pump switch was in the "Auto" position. The battery switch was on, and the alternator switch was off. The main battery voltage was 12.68 volts, the FADEC standby battery 12.56 volts.
Inspection of the fuel system: the fuel tank was breached, and the outlet line remained connected. No obstructions were noted in the fuel strainer or lines. The auxiliary fuel pump and FADEC systems were examined but no anomalies were identified that would preclude operation.