ATL04LA060

The pilot stated he was at 5,500 feet explaining to a passenger what he would do in the event of an engine failure. He pulled the power back, continued the explanation, and turned towards a forced landing area. He increased throttle at 3,500 feet in order to change his direction and head back. The power lever felt funny and the engine did not respond. He continued to monitor his instruments and continued with the forced landing. He did not inform his passengers of the emergency. The pilot did not remember seeing the power lines before the collision. The front seat passenger informed the Highway Patrol Officer who responded to the accident site that when the pilot attempted to climb out from the approach, the airplane collided with the power line and the ground. A witness on the ground who observed the accident stated the airplane was in a right descending turn heading towards an open field. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, and throttle assembly, revealed no anomalies. The engine was mounted in a test stand. The engine started and ran at idle power. After engine warm up the throttle was increased to 2,000 rpm and a magneto check was completed. The throttle was advanced to full power and back to the idle position. The engine was shut down with the mixture control..

History of flight

On December 27, 2003, at 1542 Eastern Standard Time, a Cirrus SR22, N742CD, registered to and operated by a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, collided with a power line, and the ground while conducting a simulated engine out and approach near King, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage. The private pilot and one passenger received minor injuries. One other passenger received serious injuries. The flight originated from Martinsville, Virginia, on December 27, 2003, at 1515.

According to the pilot, they were flying at 5,500 feet when he was explaining the process of an engine failure to one of his passengers. The pilot pulled the power back and continued talking about the process. He pointed out an open field to the passenger and flew towards it. The pilot stated he pushed the power in at 3,500 feet in order to change direction and head back. The pilot also reported, "I remember thinking that the power level felt funny, but I don't remember if this was a hand feeling or just the expectation of hearing the surge of the engine which I did not get." He looked down to check the throttle position, checked the mixture, and pushed down on the boost pump. He scanned the engine instruments and fuel gages.

The front seat passenger in the airplane told the North Carolina Highway Patrol Officer who responded to the accident scene that the pilot was showing them what you would look for in an emergency crash situation. He further stated that when the pilot established a final approach to a large field, he initiated a climb out from the approach, and the airplane collided with a power line wire and the ground.

Personnel information

Review of information on file with the FAA Airman's Certification Division, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed the pilot was issued a private pilot certificate on September 23, 2003, with ratings for airplane single engine land, and instrument airplane. The pilot held a first class medical certificate issued on October 29, 2003, with the restriction "holder must have in his possession glasses for distant vision while exercising the privileges of his airman's certificate." The pilot attended the Cirrus SR22 Factory Training at Cirrus Design from August 19, 2003, through August 23, 2003. The pilot received 3 hours of ground school and 10 hours of dual instruction. Review of the pilot's log book revealed the pilot's first flight in the SR22 was on September 10, 2003. The pilot had recorded 398.2 hours total time of which 118.4 hours were in the SR22. The pilot obtained an airplane instrument rating on September 23, 2003.

Aircraft information

Review of the aircraft records revealed the pilot purchased the airplane from Cirrus Design on August 18, 2003, at Hobbs time 1196.2. Cirrus Design performed an annual inspection on February 24, 2003, at Hobbs time 974.2, and Service Bulletin 22-76-01, Power Lever Bushing, was completed. Aircraft Maintenance Services conducted an annual inspection on August 18, 2003, at Hobbs time 1192.6. The Hobbs time at the crash site was 1333.8.

Meteorological information

The Smith Reynolds Airport, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1554 surface weather observation was wind calm, visibility 10 miles, clear, temperature 63-degrees Fahrenheit, dew point temperature 46-degress Fahrenheit, and altimeter 30.26.

Wreckage information

The main wreckage of the airplane was located in an open field adjacent to Brown-Mountain Road in the vicinity of King, North Carolina. Examination of the crash site revealed the airplane collided with a power line wire. The airplane came to rest upright on top of hay bales located in the field.

The engine mount and engine assembly separated from the firewall. The upper and lower engine cowling separated from the fuselage and was located near the engine and engine mount assembly. The propeller assembly remained attached to the propeller crankshaft flange. Torsional twisting was present on the propeller spinner. One propeller blade tip was curled forward. Power line wire marks were present on the leading edge of the propeller blade 8.5-inches outboard of the propeller hub and extended outboard 11.75-inches. Another propeller blade was bent back 3-inches outboard of the propeller hub, and gouges and nicks were present on the leading edge of the propeller blade. The remaining propeller blade was bent forward 6-inches outboard of the propeller hub and the propeller tip was curled forward. Gouges and nicks were present on the leading edge of the propeller blade. Chord wise scarring was present on the camber and aft side of the propeller blade. The nose landing gear separated near the top of the nose strut where it attaches to the engine mount. Power line wire marks were present on the engine exhaust pipe, engine exhaust collector, No. 6 and No. 4 engine exhaust tubes, and near the top of the nose gear strut.

The cabin area was intact from the firewall extending aft of the CIRRUS AIRFRAME PARACHUTE SYSTEM (CAPS) compartment. The windshield was broken out of the fuselage, and the rear baggage compartment window and rear right side window was cracked. The cabin roof was cracked and compressed inward and outward on the right side of the fuselage. Scaring was present on the right side of the cabin roof aft of the right cabin door extending rearward to the CAPS compartment. The CAPS strap bond line was debonded on the left and right side of the fuselage. The CAPS safety pin had not been removed and the system had not been activated. Examination of the CAPS cover striker plate revealed no impact marks.

The aileron and roll trim system cables were confirmed throughout the cabin floor aft to the rudder interconnect, and along the fuselage longerons to the kick out pulleys to the left and right wing. The elevator cables were confirmed the control yoke to a pulley selector on the elevator torque tube to a single cable to the forward pulley gang through the elevator pulley gang to the elevator empennage bell crank. The rudder pedal cables were confirmed to the forward pulley gang to a single cable system routed under the cabin floor to the rudder interconnect, through the elevator pulley gang to the rudder activation pulley. The rudder activation pulley push pull rod broke and was not attached to the rudder bell crank and rudder.

The throttle quadrant assembly was removed from the airframe. The throttle cable and propeller cable were damaged. The frayed ends of the throttle cable and propeller cable were cut off. The throttle cable and propeller cable moved freely when moved by hand through the throttle lever assembly. The mixture cable was damaged and moved freely when moved by hand through the mixture lever assembly. The power lever bushing was removed and no wear was present on the bushing or power lever cam.

The fuel selector handle was found in the left main fuel tank position. Shop air was applied to the fuel return line fitting located on the firewall and residual fuel and shop air exited the left hand fuel return line. Shop air was applied to the fuel supply line fitting located at the firewall and shop air exited the left fuel supply line at the left wing. The fuel selector handle was placed in the right main fuel tank position. Shop air was applied to the fuel return line fitting located on the firewall and shop air did not exit from the right hand fuel return line. Shop air was also applied to the fuel supply line fitting located on the firewall and shop air did not exit from the right hand fuel supply line. Examination of the center console revealed it had moved forward, and the fuel selector valve shaft was broken. The fuel selector valve was removed, and the fuel selector shaft was moved to the right fuel tank position. Shop air was applied to the fuel return line fitting located on the fuel selector valve assembly