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20040316006309A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Amtr CHALLENGER2 · Labelle, FL · March 16, 2004

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Date
March 16, 2004 · 09:15 local
Place
Labelle, FL
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
NONE
Reported as
Amtr CHALLENGER2
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2

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) On March 06, 2004, at about 0915 eastern standard time, an unregistered quad city aircraft corp. challenger ii aircraft, operated by a private individual as a title 14 CFR part 91 personal flight, crashed in Labelle, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot and one passenger received fatal injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed. The flight originated in Labelle, Florida, the same day, about 0900. A witness stated that he was flying his ultralight in close proximity to the accident aircraft and he observed the accident aircraft enter about a 45-degree dive from an altitude of about 500 feet. From his positionbehind the accident aircraft, he saw the attitude of the aircraft change abruptly, as if to recover from the dive at an altitude of approximately 50 feet above the ground. As the nose pitched up, witness stated that he saw the left wing separate, and the aircraft spiraled downward, impacting the ground. The witness also said he had observed the accident aircraft during one other such dive and recovery maneuver immediately preceding the maneuver during which the accident occurred.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON MARCH 06, 2004, AT ABOUT 0915 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, AN UNREGISTERED QUAD CITY AIRCRAFT CORP. CHALLENGER II AIRCRAFT, OPERATED BY A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, CRASHED IN LABELLE, FLORIDA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES, AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED IN LABELLE, FLORIDA, THE SAME DAY, ABOUT 0900. A WITNESS STATED THAT HE WAS FLYING HIS ULTRALIGHT IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT AND HE OBSERVED THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT ENTER ABOUT A 45-DEGREE DIVE FROM AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 500 FEET. FROM HIS POSITIONBEHIND THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT, HE SAW THE ATTITUDE OF THE AIRCRAFT CHANGE ABRUPTLY, AS IF TO RECOVER FROM THE DIVE AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. AS THE NOSE PITCHED UP, WITNESS STATED THAT HE SAW THE LEFT WING SEPARATE, AND THE AIRCRAFT SPIRALED DOWNWARD, IMPACTING THE GROUND. THE WITNESS ALSO SAID HE HAD OBSERVED THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT DURING ONE OTHER SUCH DIVE AND RECOVERY MANEUVER IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE MANEUVER DURING WHICH THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.