# Accident 20110908021169A: Cirrus Design Corp SR22, West Liberty, OH, September 8, 2011

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 8, 2011, 11:22 local time
- Place: West Liberty, OH
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.2496° N, 83.7498° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.2496&lon=-83.7498&mi=10
- Aircraft: N159JW, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N159JW-2013-09-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cirrus Design SR22 (registry code 2130001, https://openairdocs.org/model/cirrus-design-sr22) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-550 series (registry code 17042, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-550-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR IO-550 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 560 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN11FA629](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN11FA629) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110908021169A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2011, A CIRRUS SR-22, N159JW, WAS INVOLVED IN A FATAL AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT IN W. LIBERTY, OH. THE PILOT HAD DEPARTED BELLEFONTAINE, OH (KEDJ) AT 1115 AM FOR A PLANNED FLIGHT TO JACKSON COUNTY, OH (I19). THE PILOT HELD A PRIVATE CERTIFICATE WITH NO INSTRUMENT RATING. THE WEATHER AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE WAS 600' OVERCAST WITH 5 MILES OF VISIBILITY AND LIGHT RAIN.THE COLUMBUS FSDO WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ACCIDENT AT 1150 LOCAL TIME ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2011. INSPECTORS FROM THE COLUMBUS FSDO ARRIVED ON THE SCENE AT 1330 PM; UPON ARRIVAL THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED IN A CORN FIELD FACING ON AN EASTERLY HEADING OF 110 DEGREES. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ANGLE OF IMPACT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 60 DEGREES, WITH A TEN DEGREE ANGLE OF BANK TO THE LEFT.THE PILOT WAS EJECTED FROM THE AIRCRAFT ON INITIAL IMPACT, THE REMAINDER OF THE AIRCRAFT THEN CONTINUED ON FOR 50 FEET WHERE IT CAME TO REST, IT WAS CONSUMED BY THE POST IMPACT FIRE; THE ONLY RECOGNIZABLE PARTS OF THE AIRCRAFT WERE THE VERTICAL STABILIZER AND THE RIGHT WING.THREE WITNESSES WERE INTERVIEWED AND ALL OF THEIR ACCOUNTS WERE SIMILAR, THEY DESCRIBED THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT PERFORMING AEROBATIC MANEUVERS PRIOR TO IMPACT. EACH WITNESS STATED THAT THEY SAW THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT PERFORM A LOOP, FOLLOWED BY AN EXTREME PULL UP, AND THEN THEY STATED THAT THE PILOT PITCHED OVER, TO WHAT SEEMED TO THEM, TO BE AN ALMOST VERTICAL DESCENT. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO RECOVER FROM THE STEEP DIVE; THE WITNESSES THEN HEARD A "LOUD THUD" AND SAW A PLUME OF BLACK SMOKE RISE FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE.OTHER AGENCIES AND INDIVIDUALS ASSISTING WITH THE ON SITE INVESTIGATION INCLUDED: THE NTSB, CIRRUS AIRCRAFT AND TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL. ON FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2011, AT THE BELLEFONTAINE AIRPORT, INDIVIDUALS FROM THE AFOREMENTIONED ORGANIZATIONS CONDUCTED A THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE EVENTS, AS WELL AS, AN IN DEPTH INVESTIGATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REMAINS. THE POWER PLANT HAD NO DEFECTS AND THE DATA CARDS FROM THE AVIONICS WERE SENT TO NTSB LABORATORIES IN WASHINGTON, DC FOR EXAMINATION

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CEN11FA629](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN11FA629), Sep 8, 2011: Cirrus Design SR22 (N159JW), West Liberty, OH, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s improper decision to fly aerobatic maneuvers at low altitude, which resulted in a loss of control and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment due to…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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