Amateur-built FREEDOM MASTER FM-2 accident near East Haddam, Connecticut, July 23, 2016
On July 23, 2016 at about 7:55 pm local time, a 2012 amateur-built FREEDOM MASTER FM-2, registered N282XT, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near East Haddam, Connecticut (Goodspeed airport). 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 airplane control during the initial climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2016 · about 7:55 pm local time
- Place
- East Haddam, Connecticut · Goodspeed · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built FREEDOM MASTER FM-2 NO SERIES, built 2012
- Registration
- N282XT · no longer on the register · serial 026
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to witnesses, the commercial pilot performed an engine run-up and then departed the airport in the experimental, amateur-built airplane. The airplane climbed to about 400 ft above ground level, entered a steep left bank then a spin, and descended behind trees. Video recorded by one of the witnesses showed the airplane in the spin and also revealed that the engine was operating until it impacted a house. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. According to a friend of the pilot, the pilot did not have much flight time in the accident airplane, and most of the accident airplane's initial test flights were completed by another pilot. There were no entries in the pilot's logbook associated with the accident airplane make and model. Given the lack of mechanical malfunctions and the pilot's lack of experience in the airplane, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain airplane control during the initial climb.
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 initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during initial climb
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 378.8 hours in all
- Last flight review: January 29, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: unk
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 32.1 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 31, 2016; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 42B East Haddam CT at 9:00 pm
- Destination: FRG Farmingdale NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,120 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 9 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from SNC, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on July 16, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memorandum of Record - Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum of Record - Witness Video of Accident | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Witness Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Record of Conversation with Witness | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Wreckage Examination Notes | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Airplane Maintenance Logbooks | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Pilot Logbook Excerpt | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Weather Observations | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Photo Array | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.