DFW08FA060

The certified flight instructor and the private pilot were returning to the airport in a single-engine airplane after completing a biennial flight review. Data obtained from the onboard primary flight display revealed that as the airplane approached the airport, it entered a snap roll maneuver, and began to descend. The airplane did not have enough altitude to recover and subsequently collided with terrain inverted approximately one-quarter of a mile away from the airport. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed there were no pre-mishap anomalies.

History of flight

On February 2, 2008, approximately 1713 central standard time, a Cirrus SR22, N824BJ, single-engine airplane, was destroyed when it collided with terrain while maneuvering near the Lindsay Municipal Airport (1K2), Lindsay, Oklahoma. The certified flight instructor and the private pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the private pilot. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The flight instructor, who was also a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified airframe and power plant mechanic (A&P), operated a maintenance facility from a private airstrip about 5 miles southeast of the Lindsay Airport. According to one of his customers, the instructor had called him on the day of the accident, and told him that he had completed the annual inspection on his airplane. The instructor planned to reposition it to Lindsay Airport, because he was already scheduled to be there to give the private pilot, whom the customer knew as well, a "biennial flight review." Later that day, the customer saw the accident airplane in the traffic pattern and drove to the airport. When he arrived, he saw the airplane departing to the north. The customer then drove over to a friend's hangar, picked him up, and drove to the departure end of Runway 10 so they could watch the airplane land. About 20 minutes later, he "heard an engine accelerate then a boom." The customer said that he had not seen or heard the airplane prior to the sound of the engine accelerating.

Another witness was in his backyard when he heard the airplane's engine "wind up hard." He said, "I turned to look at the plane, and it looked like it fell to the ground in a 45 degree angle - The plane disappeared behind a row of trees - then I saw a ball of smoke - then I heard it hit the ground." The witness also stated that he heard an airplane making "circles" around the airport before the crash but he was not sure it was the accident airplane. Several other people heard the airplane flying in the vicinity of the airport and reported hearing the airplane's engine "missing" or "cutting out."

Lindsay Municipal Airport is an uncontrolled airport and pilots communicate via a common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). There were no reports that the pilots made any distress calls prior to the accident.

A review of radar data revealed a VFR target at an altitude of 1,700 feet mean sea level (msl) north of Lindsay Municipal Airport, at 1659. The target continued to track to the north before it made a left turn to the northwest and flew for approximately 15 miles. During this time, the target climbed to an altitude of 3,000 feet msl.

Approximately 1704, when the target was at an altitude of 2,800 feet msl it entered a left turn to the south. The target then descended to 2,700 feet msl, and then climbed to 2,800 feet msl, as it continued on a southerly heading.

At 1705, the target made a right, 360-degree turn at an altitude of 2,800 feet msl before it returned to a southerly heading.

At 1708, the target entered a left turn to the east-southeast at an altitude of 2,700 feet msl. The target was northwest of the airport and began to track toward the southeast. During this portion of the flight, the target climbed to an altitude of 2,900 feet and then began a steady descent as it approached the airport from the northwest before the data ended at 1712. At that time, the airplane was located approximately three-quarters of a mile northeast of the approach end of Runway 19, and was at an altitude of approximately 1,500 feet msl.

Personnel information

The flight instructor held a commercial certificate for airplane single-engine land, and instrument airplane. He also held a certified flight instructor rating for airplane single-engine land, and instrument airplane. In addition, he was a certified airframe and power plant mechanic, with inspector authorization (IA). His last FAA second-class medical was issued on January 30, 2007. A review of his logbook's revealed that his last entry was made on October 30, 2007. At that time, he had accrued a total of 1,438.8 hours. There was no entry that he had any previous experience in the same make and model as the accident airplane.

The pilot held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land, and instrument airplane. His last FAA third class medical was issued on January 17, 2008. A review of his logbook revealed that he had accumulated approximately 1,327 hours, of which 230 hours were in a Cirrus SR22 airplane.

Aircraft information

The airplane was a 2006 Cirrus SR22, serial number 2119, and was powered by a Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM), IO-550-N (42), serial number 689918 engine. A Hartzell PHC-J3YF-1RF/ FP4809B propeller was attached to the engine.

A review of the airframe logbooks revealed that the last annual inspection was completed on October 2, 2007, at an airplane total time of 155.7 hours. At the time of the accident, the airplane and engine had accrued a total of 198.3 hours.

Meteorlogical information

Weather at Paul's Valley Municipal Airport (PVJ), approximately 20 nautical miles southeast of the accident site, at 1750, was reported as wind from 080 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 57 degrees Fahrenheit, dewpoint 37 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 29.99 inches of Mercury.

Wreckage and impact information

The airplane came to rest in a pasture approximately .25-miles northwest of Lindsay Municipal Airport on a magnetic heading of approximately 240 degrees at a field elevation of 965 feet msl. A post-impact fire consumed the main wreckage of the airplane, which consisted of the cockpit, fuselage, tail section, left and right wings, main landing gear, and the engine.

The initial impact mark was about 45 feet from where the main wreckage came to rest. The initial impact mark included two horizontal impact marks (consistent with the leading edge of the wings) that expanded to the left and right of a 3- foot by 4- foot- wide crater. A piece of red navigational lens was found at the far most end of the right impact mark.

The three-bladed propeller and numerous pieces of Plexiglas were found imbedded in the initial impact crater. One blade exhibited an "S" bend. The second propeller blade exhibited leading edge damage and the third propeller blade was fractured at the blade root. This blade exhibited an "S" bend, and was bent toward the non-cambered side of the blade, beginning at the blade root.

The nose wheel, Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), parachute rocket motor, engine cowling, and sections of airframe were found scattered along the wreckage path between the initial impact point and the main wreckage.

Examination of the airplane's safety equipment revealed that the CAPS activation handle was intact and in its holder, the rocket motor was expended, and the deployment pack consisted of a partially packed parachute (risers extended out of the bag). A portion of the front right seat's shoulder harness, including a deployed airbag, was found in the wreckage.

Flight control continuity was established for all flight controls from the respective surface to the cockpit. Examination of the flap actuator revealed the flaps were fully retracted.

The engine was examined at Teledyne Continental Motors on June 17, 2008, under the supervision of the Safety Board. Examination of the engine revealed that it had sustained impact and thermal damage, but all six cylinders remained attached to the engine. The left and right magneto exhibited impact and thermal damage; however, the left magneto was only partially attached to the engine. The spark plugs were removed. The number three top plug was damaged, but each of the plugs e