# NTSB CEN22LA144: Cirrus Design SR22T, N164CP, Minot, ND, March 11, 2022 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: March 11, 2022, 16:05 local (22:05 UTC) - Place: Minot, ND - Coordinates: 48.2557, -101.2882 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=48.2557&lon=-101.2882&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Approach: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Continental Engines, FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 104791 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN22LA144 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/104791/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=104791 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN22LA144 ## Probable cause The failure of the Nos.2, 4, and 6 cylinders due to detonation. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Engine (reciprocating): recip eng cyl section](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058530): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Failure (probable cause); cases with it: [Cirrus Design SR22T, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058530/cases.md?model=2130004), [All aircraft, 373 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058530/cases.md) - [Engine (reciprocating): recip eng oil sys](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058550): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Damaged/degraded (probable cause); cases with it: [Cirrus Design SR22T, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058550/cases.md?model=2130004), [All aircraft, 130 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058550/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Approach: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342) (defining event); cases with it: [Cirrus Design SR22T, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md?model=2130004), [All aircraft, 1,858 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md) ## Analysis During a cross-country flight, about 50-miles from the destination airport, the engine began to run rough. The pilot continued toward the airport and tried to resolve the engine issue. The No. 6 cylinder dropped offline, followed by the Nos. 2 and 4 cylinders. The engine was still running, but the pilot could not maintain enough altitude to make it to the airport. The pilot executed a forced landing in a snow-covered field. The airplane nosed over during the landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the engine firewall. Downloaded engine monitoring data showed the No.6 cylinder stopped operating, followed by the Nos. 2 and 4 cylinders, consistent with the pilot’s statement. Oil was found on the belly of the airplane during initial examination. The data showed that the cruise power setting during the accident flight was 0.1 inches of mercury above the maximum cruise power setting listed in the flight manual. The recorded fuel flow was also above that expected for the maximum cruise power setting at the altitude flown. During detailed teardown examinations of the engine, all six piston heads were found with various degrees of pitting damage. The most significant damage was found on the No. 2, 4, and 6 pistons. The damage found was consistent with detonation. The connecting rods exhibited thermal damage and the oil sump and oil filter contained aluminum particles. The fuel distribution spider valve and the fuel injectors were found normal and not obstructed. The metal fragments from the piston heads most likely obstructed the oil journals in the crankshaft and prevented oil from reaching the connecting rods and bearings. Thermal damage found within the rods and bearings of the engine likely resulted from the oil starvation. Review of the engine logbooks did not reveal any uncorrected mechanical defects. The loss of engine power was likely due to detonation that damaged the piston heads and resulted in their subsequent failure. ## Factual narrative On March 11, 2022, about 1605 central standard time, a Cirrus SR22T airplane, N164CP, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Minot, North Dakota. The pilot and one passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he was on a 1.5-hour cross-country flight from Fargo, North Dakota. Minot International Airport (MOT), Minot, North Dakota was his destination. About 50 miles from MOT, the engine began to run rough. The pilot troubleshot the rough engine and initially concluded that there was an issue with the magneto. About 10 - 15 miles from MOT, the pilot perceived that the other magneto started to run rough. The No. 6 engine cylinder temperature began to rise, and the engine continued to run rough. The No.6 cylinder then “dropped offline,” followed by the Nos. 2 and 4 cylinders. The engine was still running, but the pilot could not maintain enough altitude to land at MOT, so he executed an emergency landing in a field. The pilot landed the airplane in a snow-covered field about 2 miles from MOT. The airplane came to rest upright with the nose landing gear collapsed. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to lower structural portion of the engine firewall. Engine oil was present on the belly of the airplane. The airplane was secured by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector at MOT. The engine was removed and shipped to Continental Engines in Mobile, Alabama, for detailed examination. Downloaded engine monitoring data showed the No. 6 cylinder dropped offline, followed by the Nos. 2 and 4 cylinders, which was consistent with the pilot statement. The data also showed that during the cruise portion of the accident flight, the engine manifold pressure was about 30.6 inches of mercury, and the fuel flow was about 19.6 gallons per hour. According to the airplane flight manual, leaning of the engine was to be accomplished by either leaning until the target fuel flow displayed on the engine monitor was achieved, or by monitoring the turbocharger inlet temperature and leaning until the temperature was 50° to 75° on the lean side of the peak value. The recorded data did not reveal the target fuel flow; however, the flight manual indicated a normal fuel flow of 18.3 gallons per hour with the airplane at 6,000 ft altitude and 30.5 inches of mercury. Detailed teardown examination of the engine revealed various degrees of pitting damage to all six pistons heads. The most significant damage was found on the No. 2, 4, and 6 pistons, with the No 6 piston showing melting damage. The connecting rods exhibited thermal damage and the oil sump and oil filter contained aluminum particles. The fuel distribution spider valve and the fuel injectors were found normal and not obstructed. The crankshaft and main bearings exhibited a slight amount of lubrication distress. The extent of damage found at the No. 6 piston wasconsistent with the lubrication distress found in the engine. The remaining internal engine components exhibited normal operating signatures. A review of the engine maintenance records did not reveal any uncorrected defects. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N164CP](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N164CP), registered now, S/N 0891, built 2014 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22T - Registry model: [Cirrus Design SR22T](https://openairdocs.org/model/cirrus-design-sr22t) (registry code 2130004) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental TSIO-550-K](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-550-k) (registry code 17410, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 0891 - Year built: 2014 - Airframe hours: 1110 - Engines: Continental TSIO-550-K 315 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 15, 2021 - Departed: FAR, Fargo, ND - Destination: MOT, Minot, ND - Airport: MOT, Mot - Equipment: Stall warning system, ADS-B, Airframe parachute, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Data recorder ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 42; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; seat: left; restraint: 4-point; flight hours: 1,688 total, 171 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 270° at 16 knots - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 3 °F, dew point -9 °F - Altimeter: 30.27 inHg - Observed at: MOT, 1 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 20220311003749A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220311003749A), Mar 11, 2022: Cirrus Design Corp SR22T, Minot, ND, Substantial damage. Cirrus SR-22T departed fargo ND (kfar) direct to Minot ND (kmot) on a 14 CFR part 91 personal flight. Aircraft engine began to run rough while in level cruise… ## Docket (6 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 10, 2024, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=104791. 109 MB in all. - Memorandum for the record engine examination findings CEN22LA144 (item 1, PDF, 11 pages, 2.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16912973&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Memorandum%20For%20the%20Record%20Engine%20Examination%20Findings%20CEN22LA144_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Memorandum for the record engine logbook summary with supporting excerpts CEN22LA144 (item 2, PDF, 6 pages, 103 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16789362&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Memorandum%20for%20the%20Record%20Engine%20Logbook%20Summary%20with%20Supporting%20Excerpts%20CEN22LA144_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Engine performance data tables CEN22LA144 (item 3, CSV, 3.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16790341&FileExtension=csv&FileName=Engine%20Performance%20Data%20Tables%20%20CEN22LA144-Rel.csv - Excerpts from flight manual CEN22LA144 (item 4, PDF, 1 page, 192 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16848914&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Excerpts%20from%20Flight%20Manual%20CEN22LA144-Rel.pdf - Photo array CEN22LA144 (item 5, PDF, 2 pages, 207 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16790137&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photo%20Array%20CEN22LA144-Rel.pdf - Certificate of party representative Continental CEN22LA144 (item 6, PDF, 1 page, 130 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16789966&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Certificate%20of%20Party%20Representative%20Continental%20CEN22LA144_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.