Pilot Debrief

CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22 near Bluefield, WV — 2016-11-22

Final reportERA17LA063
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Date
2016-11-22
Location
Bluefield, WV, USA
Airport
BLF
Aircraft
CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22
Registration
N217CE
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the aborted takeoff.

NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot stated that, during the takeoff roll, the engine was not producing full power and the airspeed was fluctuating, so he chose to abort the takeoff. He reduced power and applied full braking, but the left wing became airborne, and the right wing struck the runway. The airplane veered right, and the propeller struck a grassy area. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the right wing and the engine mounts. Postaccident engine examination found that the engine's magneto timing was set incorrectly; no other evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operation. During a subsequent test-run of the engine with the magneto timing set to its preaccident state, the engine started immediately and ran continuously at all power settings without interruption. Performance data downloaded from the on-board recording devices revealed that the pilot did not add full power until the airplane was about 15% down the runway. The engine performance data also revealed that associated engine parameters moved in response to rpm increases and decreases. Although the pilot reported that the engine was not producing full rpm and that the airspeed was fluctuating during the attempted takeoff, the recorded performance data revealed that the engine was achieving close to full power, and there was no evidence of a power loss. Further, the airspeed was sufficient for takeoff with no fluctuations noted before the pilot chose to gradually reduce power. Therefore, given the evidence, it is likely that the engine and airplane were functioning adequately before the pilot decided to abort the takeoff. After the pilot decided to abort the takeoff, he failed to maintain directional control of the airplane.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted takeoff earlier when engine issues were noted.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • FDR / data
  • Photos
  • 11 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents11

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