CEN18FA204

The student pilot and passenger were departing on a personal flight in the student pilot's airplane. Witnesses saw the airplane climb to about 200 ft above the runway at a slow airspeed, stall, and descend in a right turn until impact with terrain. According to the pilot's wife, he regularly flew the airplane, often with passengers. No pilot logbooks or records were found and the student's flight experience could not be determined. Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Given the atmospheric conditions, the density altitude about the time of the accident was 6,660 ft mean sea level (msl).

The accident airplane, serial number 2863, was manufactured in 2007. It was powered by a Continental IO-550-N 310-horsepower reciprocating engine, serial number 691467, which drove a Hartzell 3-bladed, composite, constant-speed propeller (model number PHC-33YF-1N, serial number FP6210B. According to the airplane maintenance records, both the airframe and engine received annual inspections on December 20, 2017, at a total time of 875.1 hours. At that time, the recording tachometer read 847.6 hours. FAA registration information indicates that the airplane was registered to JMC Ranches, LLC, on January 11, 2018. The pilot owned JMC Ranches, LLC. On May 31, 2018, about 1920 central daylight time, a Cirrus Design Corp. SR22, N670SR, was destroyed when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from Midland International Air and Space Port Airport (MAF), Midland, Texas. The student pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and was being operated by JMC Ranches, LLC, Midland, Texas, under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site at the time of the accident. The personal flight was originating at the time of the accident and was destined for Sierra Blanca Regional Airport (SRR), Ruidoso, New Mexico. Two corporate pilots were standing on the ramp outside the fixed base operator and saw the accident airplane during its initial climb. They said that the airplane climbed to about 200 ft at a slow airspeed then stall. The right wing dropped, and the airplane descended in a right turn until impact with terrain behind the Commemorative Air Force's American Airpower Heritage Museum. A post-impact fire occurred. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner, Fort Worth, Texas, performed an autopsy of the pilot. According to the report, the cause of death was "multiple blunt force injuries." The FAA's Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicological testing on specimens of the pilot. No carboxyhemoglobin was detected in blood, and no ethanol was detected in vitreous. Tamsulosin was detected in cavity blood and in liver tissue. According to FAA's Forensic Toxicology's WebDrugs, tamsulosin is an alpha blocker used in the symptomatic treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. It is not considered to be impairing. The MAF automated weather observation at 1853 included wind from 150° at 9 knots; 10 miles visibility, clear sky, temperature 41°C, dew point 4°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.78 inches of mercury. The 1952 observation included wind from 160° at 5 knots; temperature 40°C, dew point 4°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.78 inches of mercury. Given the atmospheric conditions, the density altitude was 6,660 ft above mean sea level (msl) about the time of the accident. The 39-year-old pilot held a student pilot certificate. His most recent third-class Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman medicalcertificate was issued on dated April 1, 2013. According to the pilot's wife, the pilot had a horse training business, and he regularly flew the accident airplane between MAF and SRR, often with passengers. The pilot's former flight instructor stated that the pilot had taken a 3 to 5 year "hiatus" from flying. He had flown with the pilot in a Cessna 172 from December 2016 to April 2017. When he last flew with the pilot, he estimated the pilot had accrued about 100 total hours of flight experience. The instructor stated that he never flew with the pilot in the accident airplane. The on-scene examination of the wreckage revealed a 53-ft long ground scar aligned on a magnetic heading of 270°, that led to the main wreckage. All aircraft components were accounted for, and there was no evidence of in-flight airframe, engine, or flight control malfunction or failure.