What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On March 9, 2009 , at 12:19 pm EDT, and experimental amateur built, mxr technologies MX2, N262MX, registered to aerobatic activity, inc., impacted the ground near Dade City, Florida while practicing aerobatic maneuvers. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The aircraft was destroyed in a post-impact fire and the commercial rated pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The flight originated from the zephyrihills airport, zephyrhills, Florida on March 9, 2009 at approximately 12:00 pm EDT. No flight plan was filed. Several witnesses stated that they observed the mishap aircraft operating at a low altitude in maneuvering flight, performing for approximately 10 minutes. One group of three witnesses, located approximately ½ mile from the impact point, stated that the pilot “looked like he was going up and then it stalled. He nosed down and sounded like the motor was wide open when it started back up again. He was facing straight down when it fired back up and then he started to pull the nose back up. It then crash landed into the orange groves.” the group of three proceeded to the crash site, and one of the witnesses contacted emergency 911 at 12:19 pm EDT. When they arrived, the aircraft was on fire. One of the witnesses stated that he attempted to drag the rear occupant (pilot) clear of the fire, but had to retreat when the fire flared up suddenly and engulfed the entire aircraft. One of the witnesses on the scene dragged the rudder away from the rest of the aircraft so as to preserve the n-number. A single witness located approximate 1,500 feet from the impact point stated that she observed a green aircraft as it performed a series of aerobatic maneuvers (“loop-de-loops”), watching for approximately 10 minutes. She stated that her attention was initially drawn to it because of the very loud noise it made as it flew close by her location, low to the ground. She stated that the aircraft did two loops and while pulling out at the bottom of the second one, the aircraft became suddenly very quiet. She stated that it went into a “tail spin” and went straight down. She stated that she heard the sound of the aircraft impacting the ground, and then she saw the plume of black smoke rise from the orange grove. Wreckage and fire was confined to a small area. The aircraft impacted upright in a pancake fashion with no forward momentum evident on the ground or in surrounding vegetation. Most notably, two of the three propeller blades showed no signs of rotational shear or damage, indicating that the propeller was stopped at the moment of impact.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON MARCH 9, 2009 , AT 12:19 PM EDT, AND EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR BUILT, MXR TECHNOLOGIES MX2, N262MX, REGISTERED TO AEROBATIC ACTIVITY, INC., IMPACTED THE GROUND NEAR DADE CITY, FLORIDA WHILE PRACTICING AEROBATIC MANEUVERS. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED IN A POST-IMPACT FIRE AND THE COMMERCIAL RATED PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE ZEPHYRIHILLS AIRPORT, ZEPHYRHILLS, FLORIDA ON MARCH 9, 2009 AT APPROXIMATELY 12:00 PM EDT. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. SEVERAL WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY OBSERVED THE MISHAP AIRCRAFT OPERATING AT A LOW ALTITUDE IN MANEUVERING FLIGHT, PERFORMING FOR APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES. ONE GROUP OF THREE WITNESSES, LOCATED APPROXIMATELY ½ MILE FROM THE IMPACT POINT, STATED THAT THE PILOT “LOOKED LIKE HE WAS GOING UP AND THEN IT STALLED. HE NOSED DOWN AND SOUNDED LIKE THE MOTOR WAS WIDE OPEN WHEN IT STARTED BACK UP AGAIN. HE WAS FACING STRAIGHT DOWN WHEN IT FIRED BACK UP AND THEN HE STARTED TO PULL THE NOSE BACK UP. IT THEN CRASH LANDED INTO THE ORANGE GROVES.” THE GROUP OF THREE PROCEEDED TO THE CRASH SITE, AND ONE OF THE WITNESSES CONTACTED EMERGENCY 911 AT 12:19 PM EDT. WHEN THEY ARRIVED, THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON FIRE. ONE OF THE WITNESSES STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO DRAG THE REAR OCCUPANT (PILOT) CLEAR OF THE FIRE, BUT HAD TO RETREAT WHEN THE FIRE FLARED UP SUDDENLY AND ENGULFED THE ENTIRE AIRCRAFT. ONE OF THE WITNESSES ON THE SCENE DRAGGED THE RUDDER AWAY FROM THE REST OF THE AIRCRAFT SO AS TO PRESERVE THE N-NUMBER. A SINGLE WITNESS LOCATED APPROXIMATE 1,500 FEET FROM THE IMPACT POINT STATED THAT SHE OBSERVED A GREEN AIRCRAFT AS IT PERFORMED A SERIES OF AEROBATIC MANEUVERS (“LOOP-DE-LOOPS”), WATCHING FOR APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES. SHE STATED THAT HER ATTENTION WAS INITIALLY DRAWN TO IT BECAUSE OF THE VERY LOUD NOISE IT MADE AS IT FLEW CLOSE BY HER LOCATION, LOW TO THE GROUND. SHE STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT DID TWO LOOPS AND WHILE PULLING OUT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SECOND ONE, THE AIRCRAFT BECAME SUDDENLY VERY QUIET. SHE STATED THAT IT WENT INTO A “TAIL SPIN” AND WENT STRAIGHT DOWN. SHE STATED THAT SHE HEARD THE SOUND OF THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTING THE GROUND, AND THEN SHE SAW THE PLUME OF BLACK SMOKE RISE FROM THE ORANGE GROVE. WRECKAGE AND FIRE WAS CONFINED TO A SMALL AREA. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED UPRIGHT IN A PANCAKE FASHION WITH NO FORWARD MOMENTUM EVIDENT ON THE GROUND OR IN SURROUNDING VEGETATION. MOST NOTABLY, TWO OF THE THREE PROPELLER BLADES SHOWED NO SIGNS OF ROTATIONAL SHEAR OR DAMAGE, INDICATING THAT THE PROPELLER WAS STOPPED AT THE MOMENT OF IMPACT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.