What happened
On November 13, 2008, a Cirrus SR22, registration N827GM, crashed in Tallahassee, Florida, while performing an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 27. The flight had departed from Columbus, Ohio, earlier that day. The weather at the time of the accident was night instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with 10 miles of visibility.
As the aircraft approached Tallahassee, the pilot requested the ILS runway 27 approach. Air traffic controllers provided descent instructions and vectors, but noted that the aircraft had drifted right of the course. The controller issued several instructions to turn left to heading 240 to rejoin the localizer. While the pilot initially acknowledged some instructions, the aircraft eventually began flying a serpentine pattern approximately 5 nautical miles from the airport.
During the final moments of the flight, the pilot's last radio transmission was, "seven golf mike's gotta go." The aircraft then entered a low-altitude stall and spin. The airplane impacted two parked automobiles in a driveway and struck terrain, resulting in 2 fatal injuries for the occupants of the aircraft. On the ground, one person sustained serious injuries and two others sustained minor injuries.
The investigation
Investigators recovered a handheld GPS unit from the wreckage, which showed the aircraft joined the localizer before veering right and flying a serpentine path before turning south. The last recorded GPS position indicated the aircraft was only 30 feet above the ground.
Mechanical examination of the N827GM revealed no engine anomalies. The propeller and hub had separated from the engine, with the crankshaft showing evidence of torsional overload. All flight control surfaces were intact and functional, though the right aileron showed separation consistent with an overload.
Notably, the Cirrus Airplane Parachute System (CAPS) was not deployed. The maintenance safety pin was still inserted through the activation handle with the "Remove Before Flight" streamer attached, meaning the system was not armed for flight. However, investigators noted that the extremely low altitude of the stall would have likely made a successful deployment improbable regardless of the pin's status.