Pilot Debrief

CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22T near Bend, OR — 2026-08-05

Investigation ongoingWPR26FA289
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Date
2026-08-05
Location
Bend, OR, USA
Airport
BDN
Aircraft
CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22T
Registration
N625LK
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

On August 4, 2026, at about 1845 Pacific daylight time, a Cirrus Design Corporation SR22T airplane, N625LK, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Bend, Oregon. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to preliminary ADS-B data, the airplane departed from runway 35 at Bend Municipal Airport (BDN), Bend, Oregon, at about 1335. The airplane flew westbound, climbing to about 11,000 ft mean sea level (msl), before executing multiple turns above mountainous terrain about 33 miles west of BDN. Between about 1415 and 1610, the airplane maintained a looping, meandering flight path in the vicinity of BDN. At about 1610, the airplane began to fly in circles at about 5,000 ft msl 12 miles west of BDN. The final ten seconds of data captured by the airplane’s recoverable data module (RDM) showed that the airplane’s left fuel tank sensor indicated 0 gallons of fuel remaining and the right fuel tank sensor indicated 1 gallon of fuel remaining. The RDM data also indicated that the airplane’s pitch moved from about 4° nose down to about 22° nose down and the throttle lever angle was at 92.3%. The RDM data terminated at 1845:50. The airplane impacted terrain 12.5 miles west of BDN. The area was generally flat, with short scrub brush and standing dead trees. The first identified points of impact consisted of an area of fallen dead trees and a shallow impact crater. The wreckage path was about 175 ft long, oriented on a magnetic heading of 092°. The left wing, left aileron, right elevator, two propeller blades, left cabin door, fiberglass fragments, and fragments of the windscreen were distributed throughout the wreckage path. The main wreckage came to rest inverted on a magnetic heading of 333°. The airplane was recovered for further examination.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Unknown or undetermined · Maneuvering
View NTSB preliminary report

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