GAA19CA074

The pilot reported that, during a ferry flight, while climbing the airplane to cruise altitude, the engine temperatures increased quickly and that the engine then surged. The pilot added that he "switched" the boost pump, adjusted the mixture lever, and then deployed the ballistic parachute system at 3,500 ft mean sea level. During the off-airport landing in a field, the airplane impacted an irrigation sprinkler system. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that two air lines were disconnected and that there were no torque lines on the lines. According to the FAA inspector, the pilot and a mechanic who had conducted the airplane's last maintenance reported that the airplane had been flown 7 hours since the last maintenance. The mechanic had replaced three cylinders during the maintenance, which required removal of the air lines. It is likely that, during the maintenance, the mechanic did not properly secure the air reference line, which led to a loss of engine power.

The pilot reported that, during a ferry flight, while in the climb to cruise altitude, the engine temperatures increased quickly, the engine surged and then lost power. He then deployed the Cirrus airframe parachute system (CAPS). The pilot's lawyer further reported that, after the engine surged, the pilot executed a "rapid" descent to get the engine "breathing better". The engine then lost power and the pilot pulled the CAPS. During the off-airport landing, in a field, the airplane impacted an irrigation sprinkler system. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. During a postaccident examination of the airplane by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector and airplane manufacturer, it was revealed that, the air reference line for the fuel injectors was found disconnected on the right-side bank at cylinder #1 and disconnected at the aft baffling. The FAA inspector further reported that, the airplane had flown 7 hours since maintenance, where 3 cylinders had been repaired/replaced. He added that, this was the first time the mechanic had worked on the airplane for the owner. The airplane was to be flown at 10,000 ft or less for the 1st 10 hours after the maintenance. The pilot reported that the power loss occurred 12 minutes into the flight while passing through 10,000 ft to 15,000 ft. The pilot stated that he applied the boost pump, adjusted the mixer lever, and finally pulled the CAPS chute at 3,500 ft MSL. The pilot added, that he had done a flight 2-3 weeks prior.