Pilot Debrief

CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22T near Fairland, IN — 2023-11-22

Final reportCEN24FA045
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Date
2023-11-22
Location
Fairland, IN, USA
Airport
GEZ
Aircraft
CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22T
Registration
N17DT
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

Probable cause

Both pilots’ failure to maintain adequate airspeed during departure from the airport, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack, entering an aerodynamic stall, and impacting terrain.

NTSB narrative

The pilot had planned to fly with a flight instructor on the day of the accident for additional flight experience in the airplane he recently purchased. They flew to the airport where the accident occurred and conducted several takeoffs and landings. During a departure climb from the airport after one of these landings, the airplane slowed and stalled. The airplane descended and impacted a flat, fallow cornfield. Postaccident examination of the airplane along with recorded data revealed no evidence of mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal airplane operation. The recorded data showed that the airplane was near stall speed, and the stall warning had eight activations over a 1-minute period before the airplane descended into terrain. It is unknown whether the pilot, flight instructor, or both were manipulating the airplane’s flight controls leading up to the accident and the reason for the duration of stall warnings over the 1-minute period is unknown. There was no deployment of the airframe parachute. Toxicology results indicate that the pilot had potentially used one or more cannabis products. However, the precise timing of his last cannabis use and whether it was causing significant impairing effects at the time of the accident could not be determined.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
The pilot could have avoided the sharp left turn at low altitude.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ADS-B / radar
  • 14 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents14

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