Cirrus Design Corp SR22 accident near Melbourne, FL

On February 29, 2012, a Cirrus Design Corp SR22 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Melbourne, FL. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

February 29, 2012

Place

Melbourne, FL

Aircraft

Cirrus Design Corp SR22 · Airplane

Injuries

3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

28.093°N, 80.660°W

NTSB ID

20120229X12019

Official records · ERA12FA196

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

Air traffic control records

• ATC 3 - Factual Report of Group Chairman: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• ATC 3 - Mlb Sop: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 29, 2012, about 1701 eastern standard time, a Cirrus SR22, N544SR, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain following an uncontrolled descent while maneuvering for landing at the Melbourne International Airport (MLB), Melbourne, Florida. The certificated private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Review of air traffic control information revealed that there were several airplanes and a helicopter in the traffic pattern at MLB, performing simultaneous operations to parallel runways, around the time of the accident. About 1658, the accident pilot contacted the MLB air traffic control tower (ATCT) from a position 5 miles south of the airport, and requested a full-stop landing. The pilot was instructed to report when the airplane was on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern for runway 9 Right (9R). Shortly after, a Cirrus SR20, which was on an approximate 5-mile final approach for runway 9R, was cleared for a touch-and-go landing. At 1700:02, the controller advised that the pilot could either land on runway 9R, or extend the downwind leg for approximately 6 miles to follow a Cessna landing on runway 9 Left. The accident pilot responded, "9 right's fine," and requested a long landing in order to reduce taxi time to the fixed-base operator (FBO). At 1700:16, the ATCT cleared the accident airplane for landing on runway 9R. At 1700:47, the

Probable cause

The pilot's abrupt maneuver in response to a perceived traffic conflict, which resulted in an accelerated stall and a loss of airplane control at low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the air traffic controller's incomplete instructions, which resulted in improper sequencing of traffic landing on the same runway.

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Browse: Florida · Cirrus aircraft

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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.