What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On Thursday, April 19, 2018, at approximately 09:30 EDT, the federal aviation administration (FAA), regional operations center (roc), contacted the allegheny FSDO to report an aircraft accident at privacy data omitted, Williamsburg, PA, 16693.
At approximately 08:43 EDT, a Cirrus SR22 airplane, N451TD, impacted terrain near Williamsburg, Pennsylvania. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed by impact and post-crash fire consumed most of the wreckage. There were no ground injuries. The aircraft was being operated under title 14 CFR part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed.
The airplane had departed lancaster airport (lns), lancaster, PA, about 07:34 EDT and was enroute to south bend international airport (sbn), south bend, IN, when it reported icing conditions with johnstown (jst) ATC and subsequently crashed at approximately 08:44 EDT. The aircraft as equipped was not certified by the manufacturer for flight in known icing conditions.
The pilot reportedly received a foreflight weather briefing and filed an IFR flight plan. According to stars radar data, at approximately 12:28Z, the pilot reported icing and was vectored by johnstown ATC to Altoona airport (aoo), ILS 21. At approximately 12:42Z ATC reported to the pilot he was going through the localizer and the pilot asked to be vectored one more time. At approximately 12:43Z, radar and communication with N451TD was lost.
The main wreckage was located at 40.41821 / -78.228075 with impact at high energy / high angle. The energy path was 150 degrees magnetic heading, and the debris path was approximately 215 feet from initial point of impact.
The initial point of impact had right wing leading edge ground scar with landing gear; ground scars and crater immediately forward of nose landing gear; ground scar in center of wing imprint. Pitot tube on left side of wing leading edge ground scar; left side of wing imprint filled with white paint chips and two access covers, one with a naca vent, crater with engine, firewall, and propeller.
Flight control continuity was established except for the aileron control cable that was broken in two places from apparent tension overload. All control surfaces were damaged from impact and fire. All three landing gears were separated from the fuselage.
Altimeter was found with a reading of 29.78. The ELT battery was broken free from the transmitting unit due to impact, which made it inoperable. The remote gyro (for sandel his) had rotational scoring noted inside gyro housing, and the gyro component from the turn coordinator found loose on the ground had rotational scoring at time of impact indicating both were operational at time of impact.
The Cirrus airframe parachute system was deployed apparently from the accident impact and/or post crash fire and was extended on the ground in the direction of the impact. The slider ring was at the base of the chute, cross straps remained bundled together, and the packing fold were present. The activation handle remained in the holder with the safety pin still installed. Continuity of handle holder to the igniter assembly was present. It was verified the engine still had continuity from front to rear through the crankcase. The cylinders were examined and documented utilizing a lighted borescope. The magnetos all displayed normal wear condition with no signs of lead or carbon fouling. No pre-accident anomalies were noted with either magneto. There were no pre-accident anomalies noted with the pistons, barrels, cylinder heads, valves, or valve seats. The accessory gear was observed through the magneto drive pads and no discoloration or pre-impact anomalies were noted. The engine appeared to be operational before impact. The propeller blades showed forceful bending and rotational abrasions.
As the FAA filed it
ON THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018, AT APPROXIMATELY 09:30 EDT, THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA), REGIONAL OPERATIONS CENTER (ROC), CONTACTED THE ALLEGHENY FSDO TO REPORT AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WILLIAMSBURG, PA, 16693.
AT APPROXIMATELY 08:43 EDT, A CIRRUS SR22 AIRPLANE, N451TD, IMPACTED TERRAIN NEAR WILLIAMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT AND POST-CRASH FIRE CONSUMED MOST OF THE WRECKAGE. THERE WERE NO GROUND INJURIES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 AS A PERSONAL FLIGHT. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT AND AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES (IFR) FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED.
THE AIRPLANE HAD DEPARTED LANCASTER AIRPORT (LNS), LANCASTER, PA, ABOUT 07:34 EDT AND WAS ENROUTE TO SOUTH BEND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (SBN), SOUTH BEND, IN, WHEN IT REPORTED ICING CONDITIONS WITH JOHNSTOWN (JST) ATC AND SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED AT APPROXIMATELY 08:44 EDT. THE AIRCRAFT AS EQUIPPED WAS NOT CERTIFIED BY THE MANUFACTURER FOR FLIGHT IN KNOWN ICING CONDITIONS.
THE PILOT REPORTEDLY RECEIVED A FOREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING AND FILED AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN. ACCORDING TO STARS RADAR DATA, AT APPROXIMATELY 12:28Z, THE PILOT REPORTED ICING AND WAS VECTORED BY JOHNSTOWN ATC TO ALTOONA AIRPORT (AOO), ILS 21. AT APPROXIMATELY 12:42Z ATC REPORTED TO THE PILOT HE WAS GOING THROUGH THE LOCALIZER AND THE PILOT ASKED TO BE VECTORED ONE MORE TIME. AT APPROXIMATELY 12:43Z, RADAR AND COMMUNICATION WITH N451TD WAS LOST.
THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED AT 40.41821 / -78.228075 WITH IMPACT AT HIGH ENERGY / HIGH ANGLE. THE ENERGY PATH WAS 150 DEGREES MAGNETIC HEADING, AND THE DEBRIS PATH WAS APPROXIMATELY 215 FEET FROM INITIAL POINT OF IMPACT.
THE INITIAL POINT OF IMPACT HAD RIGHT WING LEADING EDGE GROUND SCAR WITH LANDING GEAR; GROUND SCARS AND CRATER IMMEDIATELY FORWARD OF NOSE LANDING GEAR; GROUND SCAR IN CENTER OF WING IMPRINT. PITOT TUBE ON LEFT SIDE OF WING LEADING EDGE GROUND SCAR; LEFT SIDE OF WING IMPRINT FILLED WITH WHITE PAINT CHIPS AND TWO ACCESS COVERS, ONE WITH A NACA VENT, CRATER WITH ENGINE, FIREWALL, AND PROPELLER.
FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED EXCEPT FOR THE AILERON CONTROL CABLE THAT WAS BROKEN IN TWO PLACES FROM APPARENT TENSION OVERLOAD. ALL CONTROL SURFACES WERE DAMAGED FROM IMPACT AND FIRE. ALL THREE LANDING GEARS WERE SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE.
ALTIMETER WAS FOUND WITH A READING OF 29.78. THE ELT BATTERY WAS BROKEN FREE FROM THE TRANSMITTING UNIT DUE TO IMPACT, WHICH MADE IT INOPERABLE. THE REMOTE GYRO (FOR SANDEL HIS) HAD ROTATIONAL SCORING NOTED INSIDE GYRO HOUSING, AND THE GYRO COMPONENT FROM THE TURN COORDINATOR FOUND LOOSE ON THE GROUND HAD ROTATIONAL SCORING AT TIME OF IMPACT INDICATING BOTH WERE OPERATIONAL AT TIME OF IMPACT.
THE CIRRUS AIRFRAME PARACHUTE SYSTEM WAS DEPLOYED APPARENTLY FROM THE ACCIDENT IMPACT AND/OR POST CRASH FIRE AND WAS EXTENDED ON THE GROUND IN THE DIRECTION OF THE IMPACT. THE SLIDER RING WAS AT THE BASE OF THE CHUTE, CROSS STRAPS REMAINED BUNDLED TOGETHER, AND THE PACKING FOLD WERE PRESENT. THE ACTIVATION HANDLE REMAINED IN THE HOLDER WITH THE SAFETY PIN STILL INSTALLED. CONTINUITY OF HANDLE HOLDER TO THE IGNITER ASSEMBLY WAS PRESENT. IT WAS VERIFIED THE ENGINE STILL HAD CONTINUITY FROM FRONT TO REAR THROUGH THE CRANKCASE. THE CYLINDERS WERE EXAMINED AND DOCUMENTED UTILIZING A LIGHTED BORESCOPE. THE MAGNETOS ALL DISPLAYED NORMAL WEAR CONDITION WITH NO SIGNS OF LEAD OR CARBON FOULING. NO PRE-ACCIDENT ANOMALIES WERE NOTED WITH EITHER MAGNETO. THERE WERE NO PRE-ACCIDENT ANOMALIES NOTED WITH THE PISTONS, BARRELS, CYLINDER HEADS, VALVES, OR VALVE SEATS. THE ACCESSORY GEAR WAS OBSERVED THROUGH THE MAGNETO DRIVE PADS AND NO DISCOLORATION OR PRE-IMPACT ANOMALIES WERE NOTED. THE ENGINE APPEARED TO BE OPERATIONAL BEFORE IMPACT. THE PROPELLER BLADES SHOWED FORCEFUL BENDING AND ROTATIONAL ABRASIONS.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.