Accident to the MX Aircraft MX2 experimental aircraft registered N88MX occurred on 16/08/2015 at Châteauneuf sur Cher (18)

The pilot was carrying out a training flight for his participation in the World Aerobatic Championships in the “unlimited” category scheduled to take place four days later. At the end of his roughly 10-minute program, the pilot left the judging line and headed towards the runway for the last fly-pass in front of the public. He started his descent, accelerating to 200 kt, with a view to a vertical climb. When the pilot started the pull-out at 8 g, he said that he heard a “loud explosion”. The right wing broke and the engine separated from the airframe. The pilot managed to evacuate the aircraft and deploy his parachute. He landed in a field of sweetcorn.

The investigation showed that the upper right support bracket attaching the engine mount to the fuselage had failed during a pull out of around 8 g.

The engine and its mount were thus separated from the airframe. Due to the loss of the engine, the aircraft’s centre of gravity instantly shifted beyond the aft limit and, still subject to the action of the elevator to perform the pull out, the aircraft suddenly pitched up. The right wing then broke mid-span under the abnormally high loading.