History of Flight
On June 19, 2011, at 0842 eastern daylight time, a Cirrus SR-22, N526PG, collided with terrain after a loss of control shortly after takeoff from Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK), Columbus, Ohio. The private instrument-rated pilot and a passenger were fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The airplane departed LCK at 0840, destined for Essex County Airport (CDW), Caldwell, New Jersey.
The pilot received an IFR clearance to climb to 3,000 feet after departure. The local controller cleared the airplane for an intersection takeoff on Runway 23R at taxiway Echo with a left turn after takeoff. The controller watched the airplane take off and begin a left turn into the clouds. He then instructed the pilot to contact departure control but received no response. He noticed smoke on the southwest side of the airport. A line person and a fireman reported that the engine sounded normal prior to the accident. The fireman saw the airplane descend and impact the terrain at an angle of about 10 degrees.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 54, held a private pilot certificate with an instrument rating, which he received on May 16, 2010. He was issued a third-class medical certificate on October 15, 2010, with the limitation that he must have glasses available for near vision. According to the pilot's logbook and a notebook found in the wreckage, he had a total of 509 hours of flight time, including 236 hours in Cirrus SR-22 airplanes. He completed an instrument proficiency check on January 17, 2011, and logged 5.4 hours of dual flight time for an "IFR Review" on April 10, 2011. He had about 23 hours of actual instrument flight time and 53 hours of simulated instrument flight time.
Aircraft Information
The low-wing airplane, serial number 2963, was manufactured in 2008. It was powered by a Continental IO-550-N (46) engine. The pilot purchased the airplane in October 2010. The aircraft total time just before the accident was 482.5 hours. The last annual inspection was completed on March 18, 2011, at a total time of 439.1 hours. An Avidyne DFC90 Autopilot system was installed on January 14, 2011. The airplane was filled with 48 gallons of 100LL fuel prior to the takeoff.
Meteorological Information
Recorded surface weather at LCK at 0841 included wind from 190 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 5 miles with haze, ceiling 500 feet broken, temperature 22°C, dewpoint 19°C, and altimeter setting 29.86 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted a harvested field south of the airport, outside the perimeter fence. The wreckage path was approximately 402 feet long on a heading of 082 degrees. The airplane sustained postimpact fire damage. The main impact area contained portions of the nose landing gear, engine mounts, and a lower wing skin access panel. Pieces of wreckage, including the magneto switch set to "Both," were scattered between initial impact and the main wreckage. The main wreckage consisted of the fuselage, sections of both wings, empennage, engine, and propeller; the fuselage was mostly destroyed by fire. Examination of the airframe and flight control components revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction. The engine also showed no preimpact malfunction. The propeller blades exhibited twisting, bending, and leading-edge gouges.
Flight Data Information
The primary function display (PFD), multi-function display (MFD), recoverable data module (RDM), and autopilot were recovered. Data showed the pilot began takeoff at 0840:23. Shortly after lift-off, the pilot retracted flaps and began a left turn. About 17 seconds later, he engaged the autopilot at a true airspeed of 110 knots and a pressure altitude of 1,145 feet. The autopilot commanded a reduction in bank angle and pitch attitude. About nine seconds after engagement, an aural underspeed alert activated while the airplane was in a 10-degree nose-up, 47-degree left bank attitude at 109 knots. The nose pitched down to a maximum of 24 degrees, and the left bank reached 72 degrees. The underspeed alert lasted 8 seconds and turned off when the airplane reached 141 knots true airspeed in a 24-degree nose-down, 72-degree left bank. Five seconds after the alert, the pilot adjusted the vertical speed setting from 900 to 700 fpm climb. The last recorded data showed a 22-degree nose-down attitude in a 50-degree left bank. According to Cirrus Aircraft, about 17 pounds of force is required to override the autopilot pitch control and 3 to 5 pounds for roll control.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy was performed on the pilot. Forensic toxicology detected diazepam in blood (cavity) at 0.113 µg/ml and in liver at 0.093 µg/ml; nordiazepam in liver at 0.151 µg/ml and in blood (cavity) at 0.107 µg/ml. Diazepam is a benzodiazepine with therapeutic levels between 0.1480 and 4.000 µg/ml; nordiazepam is an active metabolite with therapeutic levels between 0.1000 and 2.000 µg/ml.