Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB ERA10FA259
CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22 — Tuscaloosa, AL
| Date | May 11, 2010 |
| Location | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Aircraft | CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Dusk · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 40 |
| Pilot total time | 815 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 504 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Knowledge-Knowledge of geographic area-Pilot
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- Environmental issues-Operating environment-Airport facilities/design-(general)-Awareness of condition
What happened
The pilot contacted the air traffic control tower and reported that he was 12 miles from the airport and had the intention of performing a full-stop landing. The pilot contacted the tower a short time later and stated that he had the airport in sight, but was too close, and needed to make a 360-degree turn to lose altitude. After completing the turn, the controller observed the airplane left of the final approach path. It then made a turn, aligning it right of course. The airplane was about 50 feet from the end of the runway when the left wing dipped and the airplane flipped over, colliding with the ground. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. According to the manufacturer, the airplane will stall at an indicated airspeed of about 72 knots in a 45-degree angle of bank. The airplane's last recorded bank angle on the primary flight display was about 48 degrees left-wing down and the airspeed was about 63 knots.