Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB CEN09FA363
Cirrus Design Corporation SR22 — Crystal, MN
| Date | June 17, 2009 |
| Location | Crystal, MN |
| Aircraft | Cirrus Design Corporation SR22 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Night/Dark · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 60 |
| Pilot total time | 505 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 388 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Rain-Contributed to outcome - F
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Dark-Contributed to outcome - F
- Personnel issues-Physical-Alertness/Fatigue-(general)-Pilot - F
What happened
The pilot reported having the runway in sight during the night landing. The tower controller reported that it appeared the airplane touched down on the runway after which time they closed and departed the tower. A witness, who was exiting a building on the south side of the airport when the accident occurred,reported that he heard the airplane and that the engine was very loud. He then heard the engine power increase as if the pilot was performing a “go-around.” He stated that he heard the impact and looked toward runway 14L where he saw the airplane engulfed in flames. The witness stated there was “moderate to heavy” rain at the time of the accident. Another witness reported that the airplane turned onto its right side and stalled. The airplane was destroyed by impact and a post impact fire. Inspection of the airplane and engine failed to reveal any pre-impact failure/malfunction. The pilot began the cross country flight about 10 hours and 30 minutes prior to the accident, and had flown about 7 hours and 17 minutes during that time.