What happened
On April 4, 2011, a Cirrus SR22, registration N847C, crashed while attempting to land on runway 27L at South Bend Regional Airport (SBN) in South Bend, Indiana. The flight, operated by Windy City Flyers, Inc., had originated from Chicago Executive Airport (PWK).
As the pilot approached the airport, air traffic control provided weather updates indicating winds of 300 degrees at 15 knots with gusts up to 24 knots. The pilot was cleared for an instrument landing system approach to runway 2 7L. Witnesses at the airport observed the aircraft being buffeted by wind gusts during its final approach. One witness reported seeing the airplane stall and roll to the left, with the left wing striking the terrain first, causing the aircraft to cartwheel.
Another witness reported hearing the engine reach full power and observing the aircraft in a nose-down attitude with a 15- to 30-degree left bank before it impacted the ground. The pilot, the sole occupant of the aircraft, sustained injuries that were fatal.
The investigation
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors examined the wreckage and found no evidence of preimpact airframe or engine anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. The aircraft's left wing impacted the ground first during the accident.
Investigators examined the aircraft's Recoverable Data Module (RDM), a flight recording device located in the tail. The RDM's power supply had failed due to a failed transient voltage suppressor (TVS) and a failed resistor. An evaluation by the Air Force Research Laboratory suggested the failure may have been caused by electrical overstress. Notably, the RDM had stopped recording data approximately eight months prior to the accident, but the system lacks a cockpit indicator to alert a pilot if data logging is non-functional, and there is no requirement to check the RDM during a 100-hour inspection.
Additionally, an unlabeled SD card recovered from the cockpit's Multi-Function Display (MFD) was found to be physically damaged; X-ray examination revealed cracks in the flash memory die.