ERA25FA260

On July 7, 2025, about 1330 eastern daylight time, a Cirrus SR22T, N5656M, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Sanford, North Carolina. The private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to preliminary flight track data, the airplane departed from Merrit Island Airport (COI), Merrit Island, Florida at 1103 with a destination of Raleigh Executive Jetport (TTA), Sanford, North Carolina. Preliminary ADS-B data showed the airplane stopped transmitting southeast of Palm Coast, Florida while over the Atlantic Ocean. Shortly thereafter, the pilot advised an air traffic controller that the airplane was having electrical problems, but it was not an emergency and he was planning on continuing to his destination via visual flight rules (VFR). According to an employee at the fixed-base operator (FBO) at TTA, the pilot’s wife, who was a passenger, called the FBO on her cell phone to report that they did not have navigational or communication equipment and requested assistance to find out which runway was actively being used and the wind speed and direction. The FBO employee made a radio call over the airport’s universal communications frequency (UNICOM) advising the pilots in the airport traffic pattern of the situation and he then spoke to the passenger again to give her the requested information. Shortly thereafter, the passenger told the FBO employee that the airplane was having engine problems and they needed to make a straight in emergency landing. There were no further communication with the passenger. The airplane was subsequently located in an open field about 5 miles from TTA, with the main wreckage oriented about 180° opposite the direction of travel. The airplane was equipped with a Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), which was not deployed. The handle inside the cockpit, used to deploy the ballistic parachute in flight, was found to have the ground securing pin installed. Flight control cable continuity was visually established from the cockpit to the primary flight control surfaces. The engine mixture and throttle cables were separated near the firewall. The left wing fuel tank did not contain any fuel and was not breached. The right wing fuel tank was breached on the forward, outboard side. The right wing fuel tank contained about 3 gallons of blue liquid, consistent with 100LL aviation fuel. The airplane was equipped with electronic fuel gauges. The fuel selector valve handle was damaged by impact forces. The selector was removed for further examination and found to be in the right tank position. The flap actuator was located in the bottom of the fuselage and was found fully extended, which correlated to the flaps being in the retracted position. The engine was separated from the fuselage but remained connected to the airplane firewall. The propeller hub assembly remained attached to the enginecrankshaft flange. The fuel inlet line to the fuel metering unit was removed and a small quantity of fluid was present. The fuel manifold remained secured to the top of the engine and there was no fuel or debris present. The engine driven fuel pump remained secured to the accessory housing and the drive shaft was intact. The oil filter was undamaged, and no contamination was noted within the filter pleats. The left magneto produced blue sparks from each lead when the magneto drive was rotated with a drill. The right magneto would not rotate; however, its housing was cracked and displaced inwards towards the gearing. The top spark plugs were removed, and the electrodes appeared new. The coloration of the spark plugs was consistent with normal engine operation. The engine was equipped with a gear driven alternator and a belt driven alternator. Both alternators were retained for further examination. The engine crankshaft could be rotated about 5° before it was impeded by the oil sump housing which was crushed upwards into the engine block. The recoverable data module (RDM) was located within the empennage. The RDM was recovered and shipped to the National Transportation Safety Board vehicle recorders laboratory for data extraction. The wreckage was retained for further examination.