CEN16LA143

The pilot and flight instructor departed on a cross-country flight. The flight was uneventful until the descent to the destination airport. The pilot indicated that, during the descent, he reduced the engine throttle and noticed some "shaking from the engine." After troubleshooting, he realized the engine would not have sufficient power for the airplane to land at the airport. Due to the unsuitable terrain for an off-airport landing, the pilot chose to activate the ballistic parachute system. The airplane descended to the ground under the parachute canopy and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage during the impact with terrain. Postaccident examination revealed no airframe or engine malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A functional test of the engine revealed the engine accelerated normally without any hesitation, stumbling, or interruption in power and demonstrated the ability to produce rated horsepower. Thus, the reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined based on the available information.

On March 23, 2016, about 1600 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR22 airplane, N927DS, impacted terrain following the deployment of the ballistic recovery system (BRS) parachute near Alexandria International Airport (AEX), Alexandria, Louisiana. The pilot and flight instructor were not injured. The airplane was registered to Rucks Aviation, LLC and operated by a private individual under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. According to the pilot, he and the flight instructor departed Dallas Executive Airport, Dallas, Texas, and were en route to AEX. The flight was uneventful until the descent into AEX. During the descent, he reduced the engine throttle and noticed some "shaking from the engine." After some brief troubleshooting, he realized the engine would not make sufficient power for a landing at AEX. Due to the unsuitable terrain for an off-airport landing, the pilot elected to activate the BRS. The airplane descended to the ground under the parachute canopy sustained substantial damage to the fuselage during the impact. Seven gallons of fuel were drained from the right wing fuel tank, and 23 gallons of fuel were drained from the left wing fuel tank. The fuel selector was found in the right fuel tank position. The engine was placed in a manufacturer's test cell for a functional test. According to the manufacturer, the engine experienced a normal start on the first attempt without hesitation or stumbling in observed RPM. The engine was tested at various power settings for about 25 minutes including rapid throttle applications. Throughout the test phase, the engine accelerated normally without any hesitation, stumbling, or interruption in power and demonstrated the ability to produced rated horsepower. Postaccident examination revealed no airframe or engine anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.