What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The aircraft departed concord, CA (kccr) at approximately 1545 PDT enroute to renton, WA (krnt). The pilot is reported to have issued a mayday call a little after 1900 PDT. Sea ARTCC did not receive the call from N224GS, but another aircraft in the area (N999VK) heard the call and relayed the information to sea ARTCC. The pilot had reported engine failure and indicated he was attempting to "dead-stick" into the Morton, WA Strom Airport (39P), which is located about 2 miles se of Morton, WA. According to radar information provided by sea TRACON in conjunction with data stored in the airplane's data base, the aircraft began a descent from a cruising altitude of 8500' at 1858 PDT. The engine failed seven minutes later at approximately 1905 PDT while at an altitude of 6500' with a ground speed of 165 knots. The coordinates supplied with the radar track showed that the closest airport to the aircraft was Strom Airport (39P-1800' runway @ 941' elevation). The radar data also showed that the ground speed of the aircraft reduced to about 100 KTS until radar contact was lost at about 4000' MSL, which was about 1,000' AGL. The aircraft would have encountered a tailwind of unknown velocity at about 5000' once it turned to an easterly heading. The best glide speed for the Cirrus SR22 was reported by Cirrus to be 88 KTS. The flaps were retracted at the time of the crash and the stall speed of the SR22 was 70 KIAS in a clean configuration. Approximately 3 miles west of Morton, the right wing of the aircraft struck a tree, separating the wingtip from the aircraft and the airplane crashed into the ground about 200 feet later on a track of about 120 degrees. Damage to the aircraft and ground markings at the scene indicated the aircraft nosed into the ground at a very steep angle. The aircraft crashed with 7 gallons of fuel in the left tank and approximately 26 gallons of fuel in the right tank. The fuel selector was on the right tank and fuel was still being pumped out at least 30 minutes after the crash according to an A&P mechanic at the scene. The right tank was ruptured and contained no fuel when the wreckage was recovered. According to the radar track recorded by sea TRACON, the aircraft ceased displaying a return at 1907 PDT. The aircraft crashed about 3 minutes later at 1910 PDT killing the pilot and seriously injuring a passenger sitting in the front seat who had to be cut out of the aircraft by rescue workers. Judging from the condition of the ballistic parachute, it deployed upon impact.
As the FAA filed it
THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED CONCORD, CA (KCCR) AT APPROXIMATELY 1545 PDT ENROUTE TO RENTON, WA (KRNT). THE PILOT IS REPORTED TO HAVE ISSUED A MAYDAY CALL A LITTLE AFTER 1900 PDT. SEA ARTCC DID NOT RECEIVE THE CALL FROM N224GS, BUT ANOTHER AIRCRAFT IN THE AREA (N999VK) HEARD THE CALL AND RELAYED THE INFORMATION TO SEA ARTCC. THE PILOT HAD REPORTED ENGINE FAILURE AND INDICATED HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO "DEAD-STICK" INTO THE MORTON, WA STROM AIRPORT (39P), WHICH IS LOCATED ABOUT 2 MILES SE OF MORTON, WA. ACCORDING TO RADAR INFORMATION PROVIDED BY SEA TRACON IN CONJUNCTION WITH DATA STORED IN THE AIRPLANE'S DATA BASE, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN A DESCENT FROM A CRUISING ALTITUDE OF 8500' AT 1858 PDT. THE ENGINE FAILED SEVEN MINUTES LATER AT APPROXIMATELY 1905 PDT WHILE AT AN ALTITUDE OF 6500' WITH A GROUND SPEED OF 165 KNOTS. THE COORDINATES SUPPLIED WITH THE RADAR TRACK SHOWED THAT THE CLOSEST AIRPORT TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS STROM AIRPORT (39P-1800' RUNWAY @ 941' ELEVATION). THE RADAR DATA ALSO SHOWED THAT THE GROUND SPEED OF THE AIRCRAFT REDUCED TO ABOUT 100 KTS UNTIL RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST AT ABOUT 4000' MSL, WHICH WAS ABOUT 1,000' AGL. THE AIRCRAFT WOULD HAVE ENCOUNTERED A TAILWIND OF UNKNOWN VELOCITY AT ABOUT 5000' ONCE IT TURNED TO AN EASTERLY HEADING. THE BEST GLIDE SPEED FOR THE CIRRUS SR22 WAS REPORTED BY CIRRUS TO BE 88 KTS. THE FLAPS WERE RETRACTED AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH AND THE STALL SPEED OF THE SR22 WAS 70 KIAS IN A CLEAN CONFIGURATION. APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES WEST OF MORTON, THE RIGHT WING OF THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A TREE, SEPARATING THE WINGTIP FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND THE AIRPLANE CRASHED INTO THE GROUND ABOUT 200 FEET LATER ON A TRACK OF ABOUT 120 DEGREES. DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT AND GROUND MARKINGS AT THE SCENE INDICATED THE AIRCRAFT NOSED INTO THE GROUND AT A VERY STEEP ANGLE. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED WITH 7 GALLONS OF FUEL IN THE LEFT TANK AND APPROXIMATELY 26 GALLONS OF FUEL IN THE RIGHT TANK. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS ON THE RIGHT TANK AND FUEL WAS STILL BEING PUMPED OUT AT LEAST 30 MINUTES AFTER THE CRASH ACCORDING TO AN A&P MECHANIC AT THE SCENE. THE RIGHT TANK WAS RUPTURED AND CONTAINED NO FUEL WHEN THE WRECKAGE WAS RECOVERED.ACCORDING TO THE RADAR TRACK RECORDED BY SEA TRACON, THE AIRCRAFT CEASED DISPLAYING A RETURN AT 1907 PDT. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED ABOUT 3 MINUTES LATER AT 1910 PDT KILLING THE PILOT AND SERIOUSLY INJURING A PASSENGER SITTING IN THE FRONT SEAT WHO HAD TO BE CUT OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT BY RESCUE WORKERS. JUDGING FROM THE CONDITION OF THE BALLISTIC PARACHUTE, IT DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.