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20030724020139I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Amtr LIBERTY XL-2 · Stone Mountain, GA · July 24, 2003

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 24, 2003 · 14:00 local
Place
Stone Mountain, GA
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N203XL
Reported as
Amtr LIBERTYXL2
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
800 total60 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days
N203XLRegistration cancelled Oct 15, 2007 · STW Composites LIBERTY XL-2S/N 0002P · Built 2002Airframe modelSTW Composites LIBERTY XL-2Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) The experimental crew training/market survey aircraft, an stw composites (liberty aerospace) liberty XL-2 prototype, experienced an inadvertent left cockpit door opening during a market survey demonstration flight near Stone Mountain, GA. The gull-wing style door and the adjacent fuselage sustained minor damage. The PIC, a commercial pilot who was seated in the right seat, reported the following: a prospective customer/private pilot was flying the airplane from the left seat prior to the mishap. Upon reaching level cruise altitude, the private pilot expressed concern that the left door ws not fully latched based on wind noise coming from the door. The PIC took over the flight controls and the private pilot attempted to ensure that the door was properly latched. The door suddenly flew open, and the aircraft began to yaw and lose altitude. About a minute later, the plexiglass window blew out of the door frame and the aircraft became uncontrollable. The PIC subsequently landed the airplane back at the flight origination airport (pdk) without further incident.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE EXPERIMENTAL CREW TRAINING/MARKET SURVEY AIRCRAFT, AN STW COMPOSITES (LIBERTY AEROSPACE) LIBERTY XL-2 PROTOTYPE, EXPERIENCED AN INADVERTENT LEFT COCKPIT DOOR OPENING DURING A MARKET SURVEY DEMONSTRATION FLIGHT NEAR STONE MOUNTAIN, GA. THE GULL-WING STYLE DOOR AND THE ADJACENT FUSELAGE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. THE PIC, A COMMERCIAL PILOT WHO WAS SEATED IN THE RIGHT SEAT, REPORTED THE FOLLOWING: A PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMER/PRIVATE PILOT WAS FLYING THE AIRPLANE FROM THE LEFT SEAT PRIOR TO THE MISHAP. UPON REACHING LEVEL CRUISE ALTITUDE, THE PRIVATE PILOT EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT THE LEFT DOOR WS NOT FULLY LATCHED BASED ON WIND NOISE COMING FROM THE DOOR. THE PIC TOOK OVER THE FLIGHT CONTROLS AND THE PRIVATE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO ENSURE THAT THE DOOR WAS PROPERLY LATCHED. THE DOOR SUDDENLY FLEW OPEN, AND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO YAW AND LOSE ALTITUDE. ABOUT A MINUTE LATER, THE PLEXIGLASS WINDOW BLEW OUT OF THE DOOR FRAME AND THE AIRCRAFT BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE. THE PIC SUBSEQUENTLY LANDED THE AIRPLANE BACK AT THE FLIGHT ORIGINATION AIRPORT (PDK) WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

Other reports on N203XL · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20030323008799IGround Taxi, Other Airplane · Melbourne, FL(-23) Aircraft was taxiing to runway 27R. Right brake failed. The aircraft weather vaned to the left side of taxi way k, down embankment into drainage ditch.Mar 23, 2003 · Minor damage