# Accident 20230902013049A: Cirrus Design Corp SR20, Lacey Township, NJ, September 2, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 2, 2023, 22:30 local time
- Place: Lacey Township, NJ
- Airport: Ocean County
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.9202° N, 74.3148° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.9202&lon=-74.3148&mi=10
- Aircraft: N420PB, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N420PB) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cirrus Design SR20 (registry code 2130000, https://openairdocs.org/model/cirrus-design-sr20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-360 series (registry code 17025, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR20
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR IO-360 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Student
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA23FA358](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23FA358) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230902013049A

## Narrative

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

ON 09/02/2023 AT APPROXIMATELY 10:30PM EDT, A STUDENT PILOT FLEW FROM MONMOUTH COUNTY EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (KBLM) TO OCEAN COUNTY AIRPORT (KMJX) TO PRACTICE NIGHT TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS AT OCEAN COUNTY AIRPORT (KMJX).

AFTER SEVERAL TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS, THE STUDENT DEPARTED FROM RUNWAY 24, THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, INITIATED A TURN TO THE RIGHT, AND DESCENDED RAPIDLY.  THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY .5 MILES FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY.

THE STUDENT PILOT SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. THE POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ENGINE DID NOT REVEAL ANY ANOMALIES.

THE STUDENT PILOT'S CURRENT FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR VERIFIED DURING AN INTERVIEW THAT THE AIRMAN WAS ENDORSED FOR SOLO NIGHT FLIGHTS FROM KBLM TO KMJX.

THE PILOT AND AIRCRAFT/ENGINE LOGBOOKS COULD NOT BE LOCATED AT ANY TIME DURING THE INVESTIGATION.  THIS REPORT WILL BE AMENDED IF FURTHER INFORMATION IS OBTAINED THAT COULD CHANGE THE RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION.

## 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 ERA23FA358](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23FA358), Sep 3, 2023: Cirrus SR20 (N420PB), Toms River, NJ, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain a positive climb rate after takeoff due to spatial disorientation (somatogravic illusion), which resulted in impact with trees and terrain.

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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