Liberty XL2 accident near Ormond Beach, Florida, July 31, 2006
On July 31, 2006 at about 1:10 pm local time, a Liberty XL2, registered N520XL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ormond Beach, Florida (Ormand Beach Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing, and failure to maintain minimum airspeed during the subsequent aborted landing, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and impact with terrain. A factor associated with the accident was the inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2006 · about 1:10 pm local time
- Place
- Ormond Beach, Florida · Ormand Beach Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Liberty XL2
- Registration
- N520XL · no longer on the register · serial 0015
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was conducting his second supervised solo flight within the airport traffic pattern under Title 14, CFR Part 91, and was being observed by his flight instructor. The instructor reported that the airplane bounced hard on landing, and that he heard the student apply power to abort the landing. He said the airplane pitched up sharply, rolled to the left, and impacted the ground. The instructor had flown with the student in the accident airplane prior to the solo accident flight, and reported that there were no known mechanical issues with the airplane prior to the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 26 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 208 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,653 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IOF 240 B4 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ormand Beach Aviation, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: OMN Ormond Beach FL at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,701 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 9:10 am from KOMN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.