Mxr Technologies MX2 N263MX

Summary

On 24 August 2022 at about 20:39 local time, a Mxr Technologies MX2 registered N263MX was involved in an accident near Osteen, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 August 2022 at 20:39

Classification

Accident

Location

Osteen, Florida, United States

Coordinates

28.9215, -81.0645

Aircraft

Mxr Technologies MX2

Registration

N263MX

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Daytona Beach → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22FA384

2 people died.

The pilot’s loss of airplane control while performing aerobatic maneuvers, which resulted in the airplane entering an inverted flat spin that continued until the airplane impacted terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident flight was part of a training and demonstration flight that included a series of aerobatic maneuvers. Flight track data for the accident flight revealed that the airplane departed and maneuvered for about 7 minutes before impacting terrain almost directly under the last data point. No linear ground scar was observed at the accident site, which was indicative of the airplane having descended nearly vertically to ground impact. Additionally, the wreckage was found in an inverted orientation. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical anomaly that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane structure, the flight controls, or the engine. Estimated weight and balance calculations revealed that the airplane’s weight and its aft center of gravity were likely at or near the limit for aerobatic flight. Given the purpose of the flight, the flight track, and the orientation of the wreckage, it is likely that the pilot lost control of the airplane while performing aerobatic maneuvers and that the airplane inadvertently entered an inverted flat spin. A fracture of the elevator torque tube at the aft bulkhead opening corresponded with the elevator control surface being in the full noseup position when the airplane impacted the ground, which would have been a position consistent with the pilot attempting to recover from an inverted flat spin. The airplane’s weight and aft center of gravity likely contributed to the pilot’s inability to recover from the spin. Thus, the inverted flat spin likely continued until the airplane impacted terrain. Toxicology testing revealed subtherapeutic concentration of chlorpheniramine in the pilot’s blood, which likely did not cause significant symptoms. Hydrocodone and its active metabolites (hydromorphone and dihydrocodeine) were detected in the pilot’s urine but not in his blood, so they would not have had any therapeutic effect or side effect. Thus, the detected chlorpheniramine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and dihydrocodeine did not contribute to this accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.