# NTSB WPR26LA162: Cirrus Design SR22, N654MC, La Cienega, NM, April 17, 2026

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report
- Date: April 17, 2026, 09:54 local (15:54 UTC)
- Place: La Cienega, NM
- Coordinates: 35.583459, -106.10148
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.5835&lon=-106.1015&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 2 uninjured
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Western Pacific Region
- Parties: FAA Albuquerque FSDO, Continental, Cirrus Aircraft
- NTSB case key (mKey): 202854
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR26LA162
- NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/202854/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA162

## Preliminary report

On April 17, 2026, at about 0954 mountain standard time, a Cirrus Design Corp SR22, N654MC, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near La Cienega, New Mexico. The pilot receiving instruction and the flight instructor were not injured. The airplane was operating as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The pilot receiving instruction reported that during the preflight inspection, no issues were found, and the airplane was filled with approximately 90 gallons of fuel. During the takeoff and initial climb, the flight instructor noticed that the engine was not producing maximum power. He confirmed that the throttle was set to full forward and the mixture was adjusted to full rich. At approximately 500 ft above ground level (agl), while the pilot receiving instruction initiated a left turn to follow the instrument departure procedure, when the engine lost total power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane, leveled the wings, and deployed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). Subsequently, the airplane descended under the parachute canopy and landed in a residential area near several homes. Examination of the airplane revealed that the fuselage, wings, and empennage sustained substantial damage. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Cirrus Design SR22, 50 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=2130001), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N654MC](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N654MC), registered now, S/N 3375, built 2009 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22
- Registry model: [Cirrus Design SR22](https://openairdocs.org/model/cirrus-design-sr22) (registry code 2130001) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Continental IO-550-N](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-550-n) (registry code 17215, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 3375
- Year built: 2009
- Airframe hours: 2750
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Instructional, Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
- Last inspection: 100 hour, August 1, 2025, 69 hours before
- Departed: SAF, Santa Fe, NM
- Destination: SKX, Taos, NM
- Flight plan: IFR
- Equipment: Auto-pilot, Airframe parachute, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Satellite tracking device, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Data recorder

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 240° at 21 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 59 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Turbulence: Moderate
- Observed at: KSAF, 2 nm away
- METAR: METAR KSAF 171553Z 24021G30KT 10SM CLR 15/M12 A2995 RMK AO2 PK WND 25030/1553 SLP073 T01501117

## 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 20260417003909A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260417003909A), Apr 17, 2026: Cirrus Design Corp SR22, Santa Fe, NM, Destroyed. On April 17, 2026, at about 0954 mountain standard time, a Cirrus Design Corp SR22, Sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near la…

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.

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