Cirrus SR20 accident near Fredonia, AZ
On July 30, 2011, a Cirrus SR20 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Fredonia, AZ. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 30, 2011
- Place
- Fredonia, AZ
- Aircraft
- Cirrus SR20 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.514°N, 112.163°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110730X73924
Official records · WPR11FA354
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 29, 2011, about 2100 mountain standard time, a Cirrus Design Corp SR20, N365DP, was substantially damaged after impacting terrain while maneuvering about 30 nautical miles (nm) southwest of Fredonia, Arizona, in the Kaibab National Forest. Both the private pilot and registered owner of the airplane, and commercial pilot/passenger, sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight departed from the Rock Hill Airport-Bryant Field (UZA), Rock Hill, South Carolina, about 0800 eastern daylight time (EDT), with its destination being the Henderson Executive Airport (HND), Henderson, Nevada. A family member of the private pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC), that the purpose of the flight was to reposition the airplane from UZA to HND. The family member further reported that she thought the flight departed UZA about 0800 EDT on the morning of the accident, but wasn’t entirely sure of the precise time. The family member stated that she spoke with the pilot that afternoon, who reported that he was refueling in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and would be arriving HND about 2130 or 2200 Pacific daylight time (PDT) that evening. The family member revealed that after falling asleep and awakening about 0300 PDT the next morning and realizing that the flight had not returned, she became very concerned
Probable cause
The non-instrument-rated pilots’ loss of situational awareness during a dark night flight over a remote area, which resulted in their failure to maintain an altitude sufficient to ensure adequate terrain clearnance. Contributing to the accident was the pilots’ fatigue due to their long duty day.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
- Cessna 402C, Jun 19, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Aug 17, 1983
- Piper PA-31-350, Feb 13, 1995
- Cessna 421C, Sep 2, 1995
Browse: Arizona · 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.
