Cirrus Design Corp SR-22 accident near Agua Dulce, CA
On October 21, 2010, a Cirrus Design Corp SR-22 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Agua Dulce, CA. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 21, 2010
- Place
- Agua Dulce, CA
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design Corp SR-22 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.501°N, 118.343°W
- NTSB ID
- 20101021X62502
Official records · WPR11FA021
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Communications with Van Nuys Tower: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- N427MC Communication Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 21, 2010, at 1210 Pacific daylight time, a Cirrus SR-22, N427MC, impacted a horse stable in mountainous terrain, 1.5 miles west of the Agua Dulce Airport, Agua Dulce, California. The owner operated the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot and his two passengers were fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airframe was severely fragmented and consumed by a post impact fire. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated at Van Nuys, California, about 1156. Radar data indicated that the airplane departed Van Nuys Airport at 1156:45 initially to the south, then turned to the north, and climbed to 1,500 feet mean sea level (msl). Van Nuys tower requested a (cloud) base report from the pilot. The pilot reported before he switched off frequency that there were few clouds at 2,300 feet msl, and the layer above that was between 3,500 and 3,800 feet msl. The radar track shows that the airplane leveled off at 1,500 feet msl for 2 minutes, climbed to approximately 3,300 feet momentarily, then descended to approximately 2,200 feet. The final radar return was at 1202:04 at 2,200 feet, 11.6 miles southwest of the accident site. Witnesses reported that they heard the airplane overhead in the vicinity of the Agua Dulce Airport, but could not see it due to low clouds, fog, and mist. One witness stated that seconds before the airplane impacted terrain it overflew her upside down. Two witnesses working on a nearby roof top
Probable cause
The non-instrument-rated pilot's improper decision to continue the flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and loss of control.
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Browse: California · Cirrus aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
