Liberty Aerospace Inc. XL2 accident near Mansfield, Massachusetts, July 2, 2006
On July 2, 2006 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Liberty Aerospace Inc. XL2, registered N771SF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mansfield, Massachusetts. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2006 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mansfield, Massachusetts · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Liberty Aerospace Inc. XL2
- Registration
- N771SF · registry record · serial 0016
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot of the Liberty Aerospace XL2, he made one successful soft field landing to a full stop, and was attempting another. During the second landing attempt, he flared the airplane, which then touched down and bounced back into the air. It touched down again and bounced "with much more magnitude," followed by a third touchdown and bounce, "with still more magnitude." The pilot then added power to "counteract a potential stall," and made a final, hard landing. The pilot further noted that "a go-around should have been initiated at the first sign...of a bounced landing." He also stated that there was a steady headwind down the runway at the time of the accident, and did not note any mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 167 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IOF-240 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1B9 Mansfield MA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.