What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On July 9, 2008, at 1130 CST, a colyaer Freedom, N4450E, registered to privacy data omitted, crashed into the Tennessee river while on a training flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot and crew received fatal injuries and the airplane sustained substantial damage. According to a dar report the airplane was certificated on June 11, 2008. The pilot was receiving ten (10) hours of transition training from an instructor pilot during the crash. Examination of the wreckage by an FAA inspector revealed that the airplane was fully composite and all engine and flight controls were present. The airplane impacted vertically into the river causing catastrophic damage to the airplane's nose and cockpit section, the left wing sustained minor damage and separated from the airplane, no damage to fuselage and the conventional t-tail. The hydrodynamics hull was substantially damaged the landing gear was retracted with no damage, the pusher propeller and Rotax engine received no damage and the canopy and avionic package separated during impact with minor damage. The main landing gear doors separated from the hull's structure but the gear door's hooks were not damaged.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON JULY 9, 2008, AT 1130 CST, A COLYAER FREEDOM, N4450E, REGISTERED TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, CRASHED INTO THE TENNESSEE RIVER WHILE ON A TRAINING FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT AND CREW RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES AND THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. ACCORDING TO A DAR REPORT THE AIRPLANE WAS CERTIFICATED ON JUNE 11, 2008. THE PILOT WAS RECEIVING TEN (10) HOURS OF TRANSITION TRAINING FROM AN INSTRUCTOR PILOT DURING THE CRASH. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE BY AN FAA INSPECTOR REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS FULLY COMPOSITE AND ALL ENGINE AND FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE PRESENT. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED VERTICALLY INTO THE RIVER CAUSING CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE'S NOSE AND COCKPIT SECTION, THE LEFT WING SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE AND SEPARATED FROM THE AIRPLANE, NO DAMAGE TO FUSELAGE AND THE CONVENTIONAL T-TAIL. THE HYDRODYNAMICS HULL WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED THE LANDING GEAR WAS RETRACTED WITH NO DAMAGE, THE PUSHER PROPELLER AND ROTAX ENGINE RECEIVED NO DAMAGE AND THE CANOPY AND AVIONIC PACKAGE SEPARATED DURING IMPACT WITH MINOR DAMAGE. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR DOORS SEPARATED FROM THE HULL'S STRUCTURE BUT THE GEAR DOOR'S HOOKS WERE NOT DAMAGED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.