Sport Flight Talon XP accident near Inverness, Florida, July 18, 2008
On July 18, 2008 at about 2:16 pm local time, a Sport Flight Talon XP, registered N1856P, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Inverness, Florida (Inverness airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The lower rod bearing failed due to corrosion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2008 · about 2:16 pm local time
- Place
- Inverness, Florida · Inverness · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sport Flight Talon XP
- Registration
- N1856P · no longer on the register · serial XP067
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot were departing on a local instructional flight. During the initial climb, the engine lost power and the airplane impacted trees short of the runway. Post accident examination showed that the lower rod bearing had failed due to corrosion. The failed bearing then impacted the crankcase causing a crack, and subsequent loss of compression. The manufacturer's records indicate that the engine was manufactured in 1994 and sold to the original owner in 1995. The pilot had purchased the engine less than a year prior to the accident and it was sold as "rebuilt," with the work purported to have been accomplished in 2007. However, there was no supporting documentation available. The engine manufacturers representative indicated that the engine was not maintained/serviced in accordance with the manufacturer's guidelines, which in part call for the replacement of the crankshaft every 5 years. There was no evidence that the crankshaft had been replaced since the date of engine manufacture.
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 engine power (total) during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › (general) › Owner/builder
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Not specified
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Failure
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: sport pilot
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: September 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 1 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 139.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2008; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X40 Inverness FL at 3:55 pm
- Destination: X40
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 3,762 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from OCF, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 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 N1856P 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.