Innovator Technologies MOSQUITO XEL accident near Felda, Florida, September 29, 2013
On September 29, 2013 at about 3:09 pm local time, a 2012 Innovator Technologies MOSQUITO XEL (helicopter), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident during approach near Felda, Florida. It was a personal 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 loss of helicopter control while hovering for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examination of the helicopter, which was limited due to postcrash fire damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2013 · about 3:09 pm local time
- Place
- Felda, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Innovator Technologies MOSQUITO XEL, built 2012
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial MXE 1195
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After about a 10-minute flight, the pilot returned to the airport and attempted to land the helicopter. A witness reported that, when the helicopter was about 30 ft above the ground, it seemed to be "unstable" and began to oscillate from side to side. The pilot then aborted the landing, flew for a few minutes, and then returned for landing. The witness reported that during this landing attempt, when the helicopter was again about 30 ft above the ground, it began spinning to the left and then impacted the ground. According to a friend of the pilot, about 2 months before the accident, the pilot had experienced a similar loss of control in the accident helicopter in which the helicopter rapidly spun to the left three times just before landing. The pilot then gained altitude, regained control, and flew away from the landing site. The pilot checked the controls and then came in and landed without incident. The pilot told his friend that, after the helicopter started spinning left, he shut off the automatic throttle governor and was able to recover. When the pilot was interviewed about 1.5 years after the accident, he reported that, during the previous flight when he lost helicopter control, he believed that he came in a little too fast and, since the governor did not work well and the helicopter did not have a lot of horsepower to correct or recover, that could have caused the spins. Regarding the accident, he stated that "I would like to think it was the helicopter, but it could have been me." The majority of the helicopter, including the engine governor and engine management system, was consumed by a postcrash fire and could not be examined. Examination of the surviving components did not reveal any evidence of a preexisting failure or malfunction of the flight control system or engine. Although the loss of control was consistent with the pilot failing to maintain control during the landing approach and experiencing a loss of tail rotor effectiveness, the postcrash fire damage precluded determination of whether a mechanical failure played a role in the loss of control.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during approach defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Flight time: 40 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 20 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 610 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Compact Radial Engines Inc. MZ 202 (piston); 20 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Felda FL at 2:50 pm
- Destination: Felda FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from RSW, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.