Pilot Debrief

CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22T near Fayetteville, AR — 2015-11-03

Final reportCEN16LA026
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Date
2015-11-03
Location
Fayetteville, AR, USA
Airport
FYV
Aircraft
CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22T
Registration
N857SW
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

The fatigue failure of the oil cooler cross fitting, which resulted in engine oil starvation and a total loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

During the enroute climb to cruise altitude, the low oil pressure warning light activated. The pilot notified air traffic control, received vectors to the nearest airport, and began a descent as the oil pressure continued to decrease. About 3 miles from the airport, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot could not see the airport or runway due to a cloud layer below and elected to deploy the airplane parachute system. The airplane descended under canopy to a four-lane road, where a car impacted the left wing. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed a fatigue fracture of the oil cooler cross fitting, which resulted in oil starvation, internal damage to the crankcase, and a subsequent total loss of engine power. About four months before the accident, the engine manufacturer released a critical service bulletin (CSB) for a known problem pertaining to the oil cooler cross fitting assembly. Although the airplane underwent scheduled maintenance about a month before the accident, the CSB was not completed due to time constraints. Although compliance was not mandatory, it is likely that the accident would have been prevented had the CSB been completed.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot deferred critical engine maintenance that could have prevented the failure.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ATC audio
  • FDR / data
  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 17 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents17

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