History of Flight
On August 24, 2022, at 1639 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built MXR Technologies MX2, registration N263MX, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain in Osteen, Florida. The private pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as an aerobatic demonstration flight.
According to individuals familiar with the purpose of the flight, the accident pilot organized training and demonstration flights for a group of pilots from a foreign air force. The planned flights included two 30-minute flights in the accident airplane for aerobatic demonstration and upset recovery and prevention training with a flight instructor in a different airplane. The accident flight was the first aerobatic demonstration flight for the pilot-rated passenger and the airplane’s third demonstration flight of the day. During the two previous demonstration flights, pilots had performed Lomcovák, half-Cuban eight, and hammerhead maneuvers along with loops and vertical climbs with rolls.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight track data showed that the airplane departed Spruce Creek Airport (7FL6) at 1632. It flew south and began maneuvering east between 2,000 and 5,000 ft msl. The last data point, at 1639, indicated an altitude of 2,738 ft msl, track 068°, and groundspeed 15 knots. The airplane impacted a wooded marshy area almost directly under that point.
Personnel Information
Postcards promoting the accident pilot’s aerobatic experience were recovered from the airplane, stating that the pilot had “an impressive competition record flying aerobatics and has finished strongly in every competition he has entered since 2010.”
Aircraft Information
According to the manufacturer’s website, the MX2 was an all-carbon-fiber two-seat high-performance aerobatic airplane constructed to sustain ±12 Gs. The maximum aerobatic weight limit was 1,850 pounds, and the aerobatic center-of-gravity (CG) range was between 81.62 and 88.65 inches.
Placards near the fuel tanks indicated each wing had a capacity of 22 gallons; the header tank capacity was 17 gallons. Two fuel receipts from the accident day showed a purchase of 18.9 gallons at about 0827 (before the first 22-minute demonstration flight) and 7.5 gallons at about 0909 (before the second 23-minute flight). Video from the fueling area showed the pilot adding fuel to wing and header tanks during the first fueling and only to the header tank during the second. No fuel was added immediately before the accident flight.
An interview with an aerobatic pilot of the same model, combined with the Pilot’s Operating Handbook and weight and balance forms, indicated that aerobatic flights were conducted with fuel only in the header tank.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest inverted on a 098° heading. The debris field was limited to within 1 ft of the airplane’s perimeter, and nearby trees and shrubs were undamaged, consistent with a near-vertical, inverted, flat attitude impact into the marsh.
Recovery personnel drained 10–15 gallons of fuel from the wings and about 0.5 gallons from the right wing fuel line when the wing was turned upright. The header tank was found breached. The recovered fuel was light blue and absent of debris.
Rudder and aileron control continuity was traced through cuts made during recovery. Elevator control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit control column to just aft of the rear pilot seat, where a bend fracture was found about 17 inches aft of the elevator torque tube end fitting, a 40-inch span of torque tube, and another fracture about 20 inches forward of the aft bellcrank. The elevator torque tube was fractured at the aft bulkhead opening, consistent with the elevator control surface in the full nose-up position at impact. Metallurgical examination revealed the tube fractured in overload due to contact with airframe structure during impact.
Engine examination showed compression and suction on all cylinders, and borescope inspection revealed no anomalies. No evidence of mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation was found.
Additional Information
Weight and balance calculations, using documents from the accident site, actual occupant weights (from the medical examiner), and parachute weights, assumed 5 gallons of fuel in each wing tank and no fuel in the header tank. The airplane weighed about 1,850 pounds (maximum allowable for aerobatics) and had a CG of 88.61 inches, close to the aft CG limit.
An aerobatic pilot who flew the same model and knew the accident pilot stated in a written statement that he doubted the accident pilot was performing an intentional inverted spin and was unsure of the pilot’s proficiency in inverted normal or flat spins. The pilot indicated he would not perform any type of inverted spin with fuel in the wing tanks or with a passenger weighing more than 200 pounds (the passenger aboard the accident airplane weighed more than 200 pounds).
Medical and Pathological Information
The Office of the Medical Examiner, District 7, performed an autopsy on the pilot, listing the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries of the head, neck, torso, and extremities.
Toxicology testing by the FAA's Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected chlorpheniramine in the pilot’s blood at 17 ng/mL. Hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and dihydrocodeine were detected in the pilot’s urine at 17 ng/mL, 37 ng/mL, and 16 ng/mL, respectively; these three substances were not found in the pilot’s blood.
Chlorpheniramine is an over-the-counter sedating antihistamine with a therapeutic range of 10–40 ng/mL and a half-life of 12–43 hours. It undergoes postmortem redistribution. The FAA recommends a 60-hour post-dose observation time and states the medication is not for daily use.
Hydrocodone is an opioid often used with acetaminophen for moderate-to-severe pain. Its therapeutic range is 10–50 ng/mL. It carries warnings for addiction, abuse, and misuse; adverse effects include drowsiness, mental clouding, anxiety, and impairment of mental and physical performance.
Dihydrocodeine is an active metabolite of hydrocodone, with an average blood concentration about 29% of the hydrocodone value. Hydromorphone is also an active metabolite. Both have warnings and adverse reactions similar to hydrocodone.