Landing / Ground Loss of Control · NTSB ERA22LA089
CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22 — Knoxville, TN
| Date | December 16, 2021 |
| Location | Knoxville, TN |
| Aircraft | CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Landing Loss of control in flight |
| Pilot age | 30 |
| Pilot total time | 75 hrs · Student / very low time |
| Time in type | 75 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1, 1 serious |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Turbulence-Wake turbulence-Effect on operation
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Attain/maintain not possible
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Communication (personnel)-Lack of communication-ATC personnel
What happened
According to the pilot, the event occurred on final approach when the airplane encountered wake turbulence from a landing Airbus A320. The pilot reported feeling a sudden bump, leading to an extreme roll of approximately 135°. The pilot instinctively applied corrective control inputs and commanded the pilot-rated passenger to pull the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The passenger reached for the handle and pulled it just as they reached a near-level wing attitude with the nose pitched down. The pilot felt the deceleration of the parachute for a couple of seconds before they impacted the ground. A postimpact fire ensued and both occupants evacuated the aircraft. The pilot was seriously injured, and the passenger received fatal injuries.
A review of Air Traffic Control (ATC) communications revealed that all instructions and advisories were acknowledged by the flight crew of the Airbus and the pilot of the Cirrus as appropriate; however, ATC failed to provide a wake turbulence cautionary advisory to the pilot of the Cirrus as required by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order JO 7110.65Z, Air Traffic Control, for simultaneous same runway operations involving a small aircraft landing behind a large aircraft. Although the pilot was aware of the preceding Airbus, the very purpose of this advisory is to remind and emphasize to pilots the potential for dangerous wake encounters.