- Date
- January 20, 2022, 19:00 local (Jan 21, 2022, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Angola, IN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N42VRCirrus Design SR20
- Defining event
- Approach-IFR final approach: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20220120000779A
- Case key
- 104554
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to ensure adequate terrain clearance during an approach. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action when the airplane descended too low after transitioning to a visual descent to the runway.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The cross-country flight was being conducted by a flight instructor and pilot in conjunction with an instrument rating course from a Part 141 flight school. According to the flight instructor, upon reaching the decision altitude, they transitioned to a visual descent to the runway. During the descent, the airplane impacted trees and the flight instructor assumed control of the airplane and continued to the runway for landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, right wing, and both horizontal stabilizers. The pilot stated that after terminating use of the view limiting device and she transitioned to visual references, she continued to glance back at the glideslope indicator, which showed that they were low on the approach. Shortly thereafter, a tree appeared in front of them, about the same time as they felt the impact. She stated that the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) would not turn on and there was not a current Notice to Air Mission (NOTAM) for the outage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N42VR
- Reported as
- Cirrus Design SR20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1673
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 7,141
- Engine
- Continental Motors IO360-ES27B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Board Of Trustees Of Western Michigan University
- Registered owner
- Board Of Trustees Of Western Michigan University
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 11, 2021
- Departed
- KBTL · Battle Creek, WI
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- ANQ · Tri-State Steuben County, runway 05, 4,540 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Airframe parachute, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 30, 2021
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 335 total · 260 in this make and model · 278 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 17, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 132 total · 43 in this make and model · 131 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.50 inHg
- Observed at
- KGWB, 20 nm away
- METAR
- KGWB 202335Z AUTO 34007KT 10SM OVC045 M07/M13 A3050 RMK AO2
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 4, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.