Liberty Aerospace Inc. Liberty XL-2 accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, November 19, 2006
On November 19, 2006 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Liberty Aerospace Inc. Liberty XL-2, registered N531XL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico (Double Eagle II 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 student pilot's improper flare and subsequent improper recovery from a bounced landing resulting in an inadvertent loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 2006 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · Double Eagle II · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Liberty Aerospace Inc. Liberty XL-2
- Registration
- N531XL · no longer on the register · serial 0025
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the student pilot, she was conducting touch and go landings on runway 22. On the third landing, she landed hard and ballooned back up into the air. She stated that the airplane impacted the runway two times following the first impact, the third being the hardest, resulting in substantial damage. An examination of the airplanes systems revealed no anomalies.
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; 26 in this make and model; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 192 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,653 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IOF-240-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AEG Albuquerque NM at 5:00 pm
- Destination: AEG Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 7,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.51 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from KAEG, 1 miles away
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.