NTSB Factual Report

On July 31, 2006, about 0910 Alaska daylight time, a Liberty XL2 airplane, N520XL, sustained substantial damage during an in-flight collision with terrain, following a hard landing, and loss of control at the Ormond Beach Airport, Ormond Beach, Florida. The airplane was being operated by the student pilot as a supervised solo instructional flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo student pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on August 2, the director of operations for the flight school said the flight instructor told him he completed a training flight with the student, and exited the airplane. He said the instructor told the student to take the airplane around the pattern solo. According to the director of operations, the instructor pilot said on the second supervised solo flight around the pattern, the student landed hard, and the airplane bounced twice. The instructor told him he heard the student apply full power in an attempt to abort the landing after the second bounce. He said the instructor reported that the airplane started a steep climb, rolled to the left, descended, and impacted the ground. The director of operations said the airplane sustained structural damage to both wings and the fuselage.

In a written report to the NTSB prepared by the head of training for the operator, dated August 3, the head of training reiterated the earlier statements made by the instructor.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing, and failure to maintain minimum airspeed during the subsequent aborted landing, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and impact with terrain. A factor associated with the accident was the inadvertent stall.