WPR26LA209

On June 1, 2026, about 1340 mountain daylight time, a Cirrus Design Corp SR22T, N324WY, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Casper, Wyoming. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, the airplane departed from Casper/Natrona County International Airport (CPR), Casper, Wyoming, and initiated a climb to the south. About 45 miles south of CPR, shortly after leveling the airplane at 21,000 ft mean sea level (MSL), the engine began running rough, lost partial power, and the engine related temperature readings “blanked out.” The pilot immediately initiated a descent, turned the airplane toward CPR, and contacted air traffic control (ATC) about the airplane’s emergency and that he needed to return to CPR. At about 14,000 ft msl, he leveled the airplane, however, could not maintain altitude. The engine roughness increased, and about 15 miles south of CPR, at about 6,800 ft msl, the pilot was uncertain if the airplane would clear mountainous terrain between his position and CPR. The pilot identified an area he felt was safe to descend into and planned to deploy the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). Before the deployment of CAPS, some engine power returned and the pilot elected to continue toward CPR. About 8 miles south of CPR, the pilot requested runway 26 and the controller cleared the pilot to land. As the airplane entered a modified base turn for runway 26 and at about 500-600 ft above the ground (agl), the engine seized. The pilot elected not to deploy CAPS due to the safe deployment altitude restriction and initiated a forced landing. Subsequently, the airplane landed short of runway 26 and impacted an airport perimeter fence during the landing roll before it came to rest upright, about 1,300 ft from the runway threshold. Postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to both wings. The wreckage was retained for further examination.