Liberty XL-2 N208AU

Summary

On 11 December 2012 at about 18:18 local time, a Liberty XL-2 registered N208AU, operated by Averett University of Danville VA, was involved in an accident near Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 December 2012 at 18:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Lynchburg, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Lynchburg Regional Airport (LYH)

Coordinates

37.3219, -79.1931

Aircraft

Liberty XL-2

Registration

N208AU

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Averett University of Danville VA

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Danville → Lynchburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13CA092

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot was returning from a solo cross-country flight, and, just before touchdown, she flared the airplane too high above the runway, and the airplane touched down hard. The student pilot applied full power to attempt a go-around; however, the airplane bounced, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane skidded down the runway eventually coming to rest. Postaccident examination revealed a large hole in the cockpit floor, located just aft of the left seat rudder pedals. The student pilot reported no preexisting mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.