What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft contacted tower about 5 miles north of airport, declared emergency with flight control problems. Aircraft attempted to land runway 27. Aircraft crashed southwest of tower at Duluth, Minnesota. (.19) on August 23, 1999, at 1328 central standard time, a Cirrus SR-20, N115CD, registered and operated by Cirrus design was destroyed on impact with terrain following a landing attempt on runway 27 (10,152 feet by 150 feet, concrete/dry) at Duluth International Airport (dlh) near Duluth Minnesota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The CFR part 91 local test flight was not operating on a flight plan. The airline transport rated pilot sustained fatal injuries. The flight originated the Duluth International Airport at 1312. The pilot had declared an emergency approximately 5 miles north dlh. At approximately 2 miles north of the airport, the pilot then reported that he had a control problem. A witness reported seeing the aircraft overshoot runway 27, track along taxiway a and enter into a steep bank returning to runway 27 at which point, the aircraft began tracking over runway 27 at an altitude of 5-15 feet above the runway with its nose yawed approximately 20 degrees to the right. The witness stated that the aircraft performed a go-around at the midfield position and made a left 70 degree turn in a short period of time at bank angle of 90-120 degrees with its nose slicing down 20-40 degrees. The witness further stated that he never saw the aircraft roll to the right when it entered the pattern. The aircraft impacted level terrain in the confines of a federal prison at the following coordinates: latitude 46 degrees 50.091'N and longitude 092 degrees 11.973'W. The aircraft, Cirrus SR20, serial number 1001, was certified as an experimental market survey aircraft and had accumulated a total time of 5.4 hours. A company test pilot reported no anomalies with the aircraft after performing an aft center of gravity (CG) flight test preceding to the accident flight. The aileron spring cartridge and the interconnect between the aileron and rudder were then removed for the accident flight. There was no change in test ballast. Weight and balance records show that the weight and location of the test ballast was 100 lbs at the copilot's seat, 125 lbs at the forward baggage area and 225 lbs at the aft baggage area. The weight and CG location was 2,900 lbs at 31.50 inches. The corresponding weight and CG envelope is: 2,871 lbs to 3045 lbs with a CG range of 30.19 inches to 32.81 inches. Fuel records indicate that the fuel tanks were full and were entered as such in the weight and balance calculations. The fuel selector was selected to the left tank. No evidence of fire was found at the accident site. All control surfaces were located with the main wreckage. The flaps were found in the mid range position. The engine, teledyne Continental IO-360-ES(6), serial number 357110, was found folded aft and to the left of the airframe. Fuel was found in the lines leading to the engine-driven fuel pump and in the return lines. The linkages for the propeller governor and the mixture control were continuous from the engine to the cockpit. A "thumb" compression check was performed on all cylinders; all cylinders exhibited compression when the propeller was rotated. The three-bladed hartzell propeller hub assembly, serial number JC2A, remained attached to the engine. Blade "a" exhibited nicks on its leading edge from the tip to approximately 20 inches inboard. Chordwise scratches were found along the blade. The blade was curled forward 18 inches inboard from the tip. Blade "b" exhibited nicks on its leading edge from the tip inboard about 12 inches. Chordwise scratches were found along the blade. The blade tip was curled forward beginning from approximately 5 inches inboard of the tip. Blade "c" was separated at a point about 5 inches from the hub. The separated blade exhibited leading edge gouging and curling. (-23) privacy data omittedhad consulted with privacy data omittedthe test pilot that had flown N115CD on the morning of March 23, 1999. privacy data omittedHad reported that the controls were "stiff" in the roll axis and based upon a previous history with other test SR-20 aircraft, privacy data omitted instructed the flight line mechanics to take the roll trim cartridge out of the aileron control path. privacy data omitted Departed at 1309 CST, declared an emergency and crashed at Duluth International, destroying the aircraft at 1328 CST. Block 21A,techn ical factors are unknown at this time. Block 32, unable to cite correction; unknow at this time. Probable cause has not yet been determined.
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT CONTACTED TOWER ABOUT 5 MILES NORTH OF AIRPORT, DECLARED EMERGENCY WITH FLIGHT CONTROL PROBLEMS. AIRCRAFT ATTEMPTED TO LAND RUNWAY 27. AIRCRAFT CRASHED SOUTHWEST OF TOWER AT DULUTH, MINNESOTA. (.19) ON AUGUST 23, 1999, AT 1328 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A CIRRUS SR-20, N115CD, REGISTERED AND OPERATED BY CIRRUS DESIGN WAS DESTROYED ON IMPACT WITH TERRAIN FOLLOWING A LANDING ATTEMPT ON RUNWAY 27 (10,152 FEET BY 150 FEET, CONCRETE/DRY) AT DULUTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (DLH) NEAR DULUTH MINNESOTA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE CFR PART 91 LOCAL TEST FLIGHT WAS NOT OPERATING ON A FLIGHT PLAN. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED PILOT SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED THE DULUTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT 1312. THE PILOT HAD DECLARED AN EMERGENCY APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES NORTH DLH. AT APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES NORTH OF THE AIRPORT, THE PILOT THEN REPORTED THAT HE HAD A CONTROL PROBLEM. A WITNESS REPORTED SEEING THE AIRCRAFT OVERSHOOT RUNWAY 27, TRACK ALONG TAXIWAY A AND ENTER INTO A STEEP BANK RETURNING TO RUNWAY 27 AT WHICH POINT, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TRACKING OVER RUNWAY 27 AT AN ALTITUDE OF 5-15 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY WITH ITS NOSE YAWED APPROXIMATELY 20 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT PERFORMED A GO-AROUND AT THE MIDFIELD POSITION AND MADE A LEFT 70 DEGREE TURN IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AT BANK ANGLE OF 90-120 DEGREES WITH ITS NOSE SLICING DOWN 20-40 DEGREES. THE WITNESS FURTHER STATED THAT HE NEVER SAW THE AIRCRAFT ROLL TO THE RIGHT WHEN IT ENTERED THE PATTERN. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED LEVEL TERRAIN IN THE CONFINES OF A FEDERAL PRISON AT THE FOLLOWING COORDINATES: LATITUDE 46 DEGREES 50.091'N AND LONGITUDE 092 DEGREES 11.973'W. THE AIRCRAFT, CIRRUS SR20, SERIAL NUMBER 1001, WAS CERTIFIED AS AN EXPERIMENTAL MARKET SURVEY AIRCRAFT AND HAD ACCUMULATED A TOTAL TIME OF 5.4 HOURS. A COMPANY TEST PILOT REPORTED NO ANOMALIES WITH THE AIRCRAFT AFTER PERFORMING AN AFT CENTER OF GRAVITY (CG) FLIGHT TEST PRECEDING TO THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. THE AILERON SPRING CARTRIDGE AND THE INTERCONNECT BETWEEN THE AILERON AND RUDDER WERE THEN REMOVED FOR THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN TEST BALLAST. WEIGHT AND BALANCE RECORDS SHOW THAT THE WEIGHT AND LOCATION OF THE TEST BALLAST WAS 100 LBS AT THE COPILOT'S SEAT, 125 LBS AT THE FORWARD BAGGAGE AREA AND 225 LBS AT THE AFT BAGGAGE AREA. THE WEIGHT AND CG LOCATION WAS 2,900 LBS AT 31.50 INCHES. THE CORRESPONDING WEIGHT AND CG ENVELOPE IS: 2,871 LBS TO 3045 LBS WITH A CG RANGE OF 30.19 INCHES TO 32.81 INCHES. FUEL RECORDS INDICATE THAT THE FUEL TANKS WERE FULL AND WERE ENTERED AS SUCH IN THE WEIGHT AND BALANCE CALCULATIONS. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS SELECTED TO THE LEFT TANK. NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE WAS FOUND AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. ALL CONTROL SURFACES WERE LOCATED WITH THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE FLAPS WERE FOUND IN THE MID RANGE POSITION. THE ENGINE, TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL IO-360-ES(6), SERIAL NUMBER 357110, WAS FOUND FOLDED AFT AND TO THE LEFT OF THE AIRFRAME. FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE LINES LEADING TO THE ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMP AND IN THE RETURN LINES. THE LINKAGES FOR THE PROPELLER GOVERNOR AND THE MIXTURE CONTROL WERE CONTINUOUS FROM THE ENGINE TO THE COCKPIT. A "THUMB" COMPRESSION CHECK WAS PERFORMED ON ALL CYLINDERS; ALL CYLINDERS EXHIBITED COMPRESSION WHEN THE PROPELLER WAS ROTATED. THE THREE-BLADED HARTZELL PROPELLER HUB ASSEMBLY, SERIAL NUMBER JC2A, REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE ENGINE. BLADE "A" EXHIBITED NICKS ON ITS LEADING EDGE FROM THE TIP TO APPROXIMATELY 20 INCHES INBOARD. CHORDWISE SCRATCHES WERE FOUND ALONG THE BLADE. THE BLADE WAS CURLED FORWARD 18 INCHES INBOARD FROM THE TIP. BLADE "B" EXHIBITED NICKS ON ITS LEADING EDGE FROM THE TIP INBOARD ABOUT 12 INCHES. CHORDWISE SCRATCHES WERE FOUND ALONG THE BLADE. THE BLADE TIP WAS CURLED FORWARD BEGINNING FROM APPROXIMATELY 5 INCHES INBOARD OF THE TIP. BLADE "C" WAS SEPARATED AT A POINT ABOUT 5 INCHES FROM THE HUB. THE SEPARATED BLADE EXHIBITED LEADING EDGE GOUGING AND CURLING. (-23) ^PRIVACY DATA^HAD CONSULTED WITH ^PRIVACY DA^THE TEST PILOT THAT HAD FLOWN N115CD ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 23, 1999. ^PRIVACY D^HAD REPORTED THAT THE CONTROLS WERE "STIFF" IN THE ROLL AXIS AND BASED UPON A PREVIOUS HISTORY WITH OTHER TEST SR-20 AIRCRAFT, ^PRIVACY DATA^ INSTRUCTED THE FLIGHT LINE MECHANICS TO TAKE THE ROLL TRIM CARTRIDGE OUT OF THE AILERON CONTROL PATH. ^PRIVACY DAT^ DEPARTED AT 1309 CST, DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND CRASHED AT DULUTH INTERNATIONAL, DESTROYING THE AIRCRAFT AT 1328 CST. BLOCK 21A,TECHN ICAL FACTORS ARE UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. BLOCK 32, UNABLE TO CITE CORRECTION; UNKNOW AT THIS TIME. PROBABLE CAUSE HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.