- Date
- December 15, 2011, 19:40 local (Dec 16, 2011, 00:40 UTC)
- Place
- Farmville, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N788SRCirrus Design SR22
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report March 8, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20111215028099A
- Case key
- 82526
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 did not maintain the proper approach path, which resulted in a runway undershoot.
Findings · 2
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
According to the pilot, the intention of the flight was to become night current. He was on the global positioning system approach and was lined up on the runway centerline with the approach lights in sight. At 500 feet above ground level, the pilot extended the wing flaps to the full down position. When the airplane was closer to the ground, the airspeed suddenly decreased and the rate of descent increased, and the pilot added full power in order to arrest the descent. The airplane, however, impacted trees and the ground about 2,000 feet prior to the runway. The airplane bounced twice and then landed on the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane veered off the left side of the runway and came to rest in a grassy area. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, the intention of the flight was to become night current. He was on the global positioning system approach, and was lined up on the runway centerline, with the approach lights in sight. At 500 feet above ground level, the pilot extended the wing flaps to the full down position. When the airplane was closer to the ground, the airspeed suddenly decreased and the rate of descent increased, thus the pilot added full power in order to arrest the descent. The airplane, however, impacted trees and the ground approximately 2,000 feet prior to the runway. The airplane bounced twice, and then proceeded to land on the runway. During the landing roll out, the airplane veered off the left side of the runway and came to rest in a grassy area. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N788SR
- Reported as
- Cirrus Design SR22
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2887
- Airframe hours
- 665
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-550-N, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Neil O'Donohue
- Registered owner
- Neil O'Donohue
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 14, 2011
- Departed
- FVX · Farmville, VA
- Destination
- FVX · Farmville, VA
- Airport
- FVX · Farmville Regional Airport, runway 21, 4,400 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 70
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 16, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 63 in this make and model · 2,000 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- FVX
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 5, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.0 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.