Cirrus Design Corp SR22 accident near Palm Bay, FL

On July 23, 2011, a Cirrus Design Corp SR22 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Palm Bay, FL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

July 23, 2011

Place

Palm Bay, FL

Aircraft

Cirrus Design Corp SR22 · Airplane

Injuries

2 fatal, 0 serious, 1 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

27.937°N, 80.703°W

NTSB ID

20110723X80555

Official records · ERA11FA414

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• Chronological Summary of Flight And Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Central Florida Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility Daily Record of Facility Operation: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 23, 2011, about 1233 eastern daylight time, a Cirrus Design Corporation SR22, N122HB, registered to N122HB LLC, and operated by a private individual, experienced a loss of engine power and sustained substantial damage during an attempted forced landing to an open field near Palm Bay, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight from Albert Whitted Airport (SPG), St. Petersburg, Florida, to Melbourne International Airport (MLB), Melbourne, Florida. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight originated from SPG about 1145. The rear seat passenger stated that before takeoff, the pilot, “…checked the airplane on the outside as well as all the instruments inside the airplane.” She reported the takeoff was perfect and was very smooth and she felt very safe. According to a chronological summary of flight communications, at 1146, or approximately 1 minute after takeoff, the pilot established contact with Tampa Air Traffic Control Tower (Tampa ATCT), and advised the controller that the flight was at 700 feet climbing to 1,600 feet. The controller vectored the pilot to overfly Tampa International Airport runway 28, and air traffic control communications were transferred to a different sector of the Tampa ATCT. The pilot established contact with that sector and at 1201, he advised the controller that his new destination was Valkaria Airport (X59)

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering for a forced landing, resulting in an inadvertent aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident were the pilot’s failure to secure the oil gauge rod and cap assembly before flight and his decision not to land immediately following loss of oil pressure, which resulted in the total loss of engine power due to oil starvation.

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.