2008 Cirrus SR22 Crash Near Lindsay, Oklahoma (N824BJ)

Accident Overview and Flight History On February 2, 2008, at approximately 1713 central standard time, a 2006 Cirrus SR22, registration N824BJ, collided with terrain while maneuvering near Lindsay Municipal Airport (1K2) in Lindsay, Oklahoma. The aircraft was destroyed, and both occupants—a certified flight instructor and a private pilot—were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the private pilot. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight instructor, who also held FAA airframe and power plant mechanic credentials, operated a maintenance facility from a private airstrip about 5 miles southeast of Lindsay Airport. On the day of the accident, he had completed an annual inspection on the aircraft and planned to reposition it to Lindsay Airport for a scheduled biennial flight review with the private pilot. Witnesses later reported seeing the aircraft in the traffic pattern and hearing engine sounds before the crash. ## Personnel and Aircraft Details The flight instructor held a commercial pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane, along with certified flight instructor ratings for both endorsements. He was also a certified airframe and power plant mechanic with inspector authorization. His last FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on January 30, 2007, and his logbook showed a total of 1,438.8 hours, with no previous experience in the same make and model as the accident aircraft. The private pilot held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His last FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on January 17, 2008. His logbook revealed approximately 1,327 total hours, including 230 hours in a Cirrus SR22. The accident aircraft was a 2006 Cirrus SR22, serial number 2119, powered by a Teledyne Continental Motors IO-550-N (42) engine, serial number 689918. A Hartzell PHC-J3YF-1RF/FP4809B propeller was attached. The last annual inspection was completed on October 2, 2007, at 155.7 total hours. At the time of the accident, the airframe and engine had accrued 198.3 total hours. ## Meteorological and Radar Data Weather at Paul's Valley Municipal Airport (PVJ), approximately 20 nautical miles southeast of the accident site, was reported at 1750 as wind from 080 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 57 degrees Fahrenheit, dewpoint 37 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure of 29.99 inches of Mercury. Radar data revealed a VFR target at 1,700 feet mean sea level north of Lindsay Municipal Airport at 1659. The target tracked north, then turned northwest and climbed to 3,000 feet. At 1704, it entered a left turn to the south, descending to 2,700 feet before climbing back to 2,800 feet. At 1705, the target made a right 360-degree turn at 2,800 feet. At 1708, it entered a left turn to the east-southeast at 2,700 feet, climbing to 2,900 feet before beginning a steady descent toward the airport from the northwest. Radar data ended at 1712, with the aircraft approximately three-quarters of a mile northeast of the approach end of Runway 19 at 1,500 feet mean sea level. ## Wreckage and Impact Examination The aircraft came to rest in a pasture approximately 0.25 miles northwest of Lindsay Municipal Airport on a magnetic heading of 240 degrees at a field elevation of 965 feet mean sea level. A post-impact fire consumed the main wreckage, including the cockpit, fuselage, tail section, wings, main landing gear, and engine. The initial impact mark was about 45 feet from the main wreckage, featuring two horizontal impact marks consistent with the leading edge of the wings, expanding from a 3-foot by 4-foot crater. A red navigational lens was found at the far end of the right impact mark. The three-bladed propeller and Plexiglas pieces were embedded in the impact crater. One blade exhibited an “S” bend, the second had leading edge damage, and the third was fractured at the root with an “S” bend toward the non-cambered side. The nose wheel, Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), parachute rocket motor, engine cowling, and airframe sections were scattered along the wreckage path. The CAPS activation handle remained intact in its holder, the rocket motor was expended, and the deployment pack contained a partially packed parachute with risers extended. A portion of the front right seat’s shoulder harness, including a deployed airbag, was found in the wreckage. Flight control continuity was established for all controls. The flap actuator showed the flaps were fully retracted. Engine examination at Teledyne Continental Motors on June 17, 2008, revealed impact and thermal damage, but all six cylinders remained attached. The left and right magnetos exhibited damage, with the left partially attached. Spark plugs showed normal operating wear. The fuel pump remained attached with an intact drive coupling, and the fuel mixture control was in the “full rich” position. Cylinder bores were free of scoring. A complete teardown found no mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal engine operation. ## Medical and Toxicological Findings The Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted autopsies on both pilots on February 3, 2008, determining the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicological testing by the FAA Toxicology Accident Research Library in Oklahoma City found both pilots tested negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, and drugs. ## Flight Data and Performance Analysis The aircraft was equipped with an Avidyne EXP5000 primary flight display (PFD) and an Avidyne EX5000 multi-function flight display (MFD). The PFD recorded performance parameters sequentially, dropping the oldest record when the limit was reached. The MFD recorded engine RPM and manifold pressure, generating new data files for each power-on cycle, with data sampled every 6 seconds and written to memory every minute. MFD data ended at 17:12:29.7, while PFD data continued until 17:13:13.8, resulting in the loss of the last 44 seconds of MFD data, likely due to the 1-minute writing interval. A Safety Board National Resource Specialist for Aircraft Performance conducted a study using weight and balance information, PFD and MFD data, POH information, and flight-test data. The study found the aircraft was within the allowable weight and balance envelope. Lift and drag coefficients were consistent with flaps-up performance at idle power and a gross weight of 3,150 pounds. At 17:12:30, the aircraft descended through 1,700 feet mean sea level (735 feet above ground level) at reduced power (16.4 inches of Mercury, 2,000 RPM) on a track consistent with a right downwind for Runway 01. Computed drag coefficients after 17:12:30 matched flight-test data for flaps retracted and engine at idle, suggesting power remained at idle for the remainder of the flight. At 17:12:47, while descending through 1,520 feet (555 feet above ground level), the aircraft entered a right bank, reaching 47 degrees at 17:12:56, consistent with a turn onto left base for Runway 19. Angle of attack increased from 6.5 degrees to 10 degrees. At 17:13:05, at 1,200 feet (235 feet above ground level), the aircraft rolled through wings level at 25 degrees per second into a steep left bank toward Runway 19. Descent ceased, and angle of attack increased from 10 to 15 degrees. At 17:13:08, at a left bank angle of 53 degrees, the aircraft overflew the extended centerline of Runway 19 at 1,188 feet mean sea level (223 feet above ground level). One second later, the left bank reached 60 degrees, and angle of attack exceeded 17 degrees, consistent with a flaps-retracted, wings-level stall. Analysis indicated that at about 17:13:09, the angle of attack along the entire left wing exceeded the 17-degree wings-level stall angle, while the right wing remained below 17 degrees. This distribution may have caused the left wing to stall first, decreasing lift and increasing drag, generating additional yawing and rolling moments to the left. Between 17:13:09 and 17:13:11, roll and yaw accelerations reversed suddenly, with the aircraft rolling and yawing violently to the right. The rapid right roll reversed the spanwise angle of attack distribution, deeply stalling the right wing while the outboard left wing dropped below 17 degrees. This generated additional right rolling moment, accelerating the roll. The initiating event appears to have been a sudden yaw acceleration to the right, possibly from an abrupt large right rudder input. The circumstances resemble a snap-roll maneuver. It is possible the pilots, facing increased left roll rate from the left wing stall, applied right rudder and aileron to recover, resulting in a snap roll to the right. Once inverted, insufficient altitude remained to recover before ground impact.