# NTSB CEN19LA331: Cirrus SR20, N200Z, Orange, TX, September 14, 2019 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: September 14, 2019, 16:20 local (21:20 UTC) - Place: Orange, TX - Coordinates: 30.075277, -93.695274 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.0753&lon=-93.6953&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 100313 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN19LA331 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/100313/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=100313 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19LA331 ## Probable cause A total loss of engine power due to a fatigue failure of the fuel line from the fuel manifold to the No. 1 cylinder. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Engine fuel and control: fuel divider](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01057324): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Fatigue/wear/corrosion (probable cause) ## Analysis While in cruise flight, the airplane’s engine lost total power. The pilot deployed the airframe parachute and the airplane descended under canopy to a marsh, resulting in substantial damage. Examination of the engine found that a fuel line from the fuel manifold to the No. 1 cylinder failed in fatigue near the manifold, resulting in the loss of engine power. The failed fuel line was replaced postaccident and the engine was test run with no anomalies noted. Although the fuel manifold bracket was replaced twice in the approximate 2.5 years before the accident, the extent to which this may have been related to the failure of the fuel line was not determined. ## Factual narrative On September 14, 2019, about 1620 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR20 airplane, N200Z, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Orange, Texas. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. While in cruise flight, the engine lost total power. Due to a lack of suitable areas for a forced landing, the pilot deployed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The airplane descended under canopy and came to rest in a cypress marsh, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. During recovery, fuel staining was found on the engine cowling and engine. Examination of the engine found the fuel line from the fuel manifold to the No. 1 cylinder was fractured near the manifold. Examination of the fuel line revealed evidence consistent with fatigue failure, and no material anomalies of the line. The broken fuel line was replaced, and a test run of the engine revealed no anomalies. The engine had accrued about 1,700 hours and about 35 hours since its most recent inspection. A review of maintenance logbooks found that the fuel manifold bracket was replaced in February 2017 and again in May 2018. The reason for the bracket replacements and whether the issue was related to the fatigue failure of the fuel line was not determined. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event) ## Aircraft - Registration: [N200Z](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N200Z-2020-07-10), registration cancelled 2020-07-10, S/N 1365, built 2003 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cirrus SR20 (No Series) - Registry model: [Cirrus Design SR20](https://openairdocs.org/model/cirrus-design-sr20) (registry code 2130000) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-360-series) (registry code 17025, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 1365 - Year built: 2003 - Airframe hours: 1730 - Engines: Continental IO-360-ES-6 reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 1, 2019, 35 hours before - Departed: Austin, TX - Destination: LCH, Lake Charles, LA - Airport: LCH - Equipment: ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display, Airframe parachute, Auto-pilot ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 61; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3; seat: left; restraint: 4-point; flight hours: 750 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 110° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 95 °F, dew point 70 °F - Altimeter: 30.02 inHg - Observed at: KORG, 6 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20190914013149A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190914013149A), Sep 14, 2019: Cirrus Design Corp SR20, Vinton, LA, Destroyed. Engine loss power, pilot had nowhere to land and made the decision to deploy the parachute. Aircraft came to rest in a swamp. ## Docket (5 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 22, 2022, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=100313. 6.9 MB in all. - Case findings (item 1, PDF, 2 pages, 178 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13138735&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=case%20findings%20-Rel.pdf - Photos (item 2, PDF, 2 pages, 2 photos, 221 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13137873&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=photos%202-Rel.pdf - Continental metallurgical report (item 3, PDF, 2 pages, 5 photos, 857 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13138246&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Continental%20Metallurgical%20Report_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Party form (item 4, PDF, 1 page, 128 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13138256&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Signed%20NTSB%20Party%20Letter%208-2017_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Airplane information (item 5, PDF, 12 pages, 5.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13138625&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Aircraft%20Information_Redacted-Rel.pdf 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.