# Accident 20140609009629A: Liberty Aerospace Incorporated LIBERTY XL-2, Merritt Island, FL, June 9, 2014

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 9, 2014, 20:36 local time
- Place: Merritt Island, FL
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 28.3681° N, 80.6875° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.3681&lon=-80.6875&mi=10
- Aircraft: N516XL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N516XL-2018-02-28) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Liberty Aerospace LIBERTY XL-2 (registry code 5200000, https://openairdocs.org/model/liberty-aerospace-liberty-xl-2) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-240-B (registry code 17177, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-240-b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: LIBERTY AEROSPACE INCORPORATED LIBERTY XL-2
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR IOF-240-B
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA14FA282](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14FA282) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140609009629A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

WHILE THE 2 PILOTS WERE FLYING TOGETHER THE PILOTS AND THE AIRCRAFT OBTAINED AN UNUSUAL FLIGHT ATTITUDE AND AS PER SEVERAL WITNESSESS, THE AIRCRAFT SPUN INTO THE GROUND. ONE WITNESS SAID THEY DID NOT HEAR AN ENGINE RUNNING UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT HEADED STRAIGHT DOWN TO THE GROUND, AND THEN IT SPUTTERED AS IT HIT THE GROUND. SEVERAL PEOPLE SAID THEY HEARD A WHOOSING SOUND AS THE AIRCRAFT TURNED EAST, BUT WITH NO ENGINE RUNNING. THEY ALL SAID THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT A HEIGHT OF APPROXIMATELY 200-400 FEET. THE MERRITT ISLAND AIRPORT (KCOI) IS APPROXIMATELY 1.7 MILES SOUTH OF THE POINT OF IMPACT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA14FA282](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14FA282), Jun 10, 2014: Liberty Aerospace XL-2 (N516XL), Merritt Island, FL, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The failure of the pilots to maintain airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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