History of Flight
On July 11, 2012, about 0852 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR20, registration N764RV, was substantially damaged from tree and terrain impact near Moscow, Tennessee. The airplane was registered to Vaughn Aviation LLC and operated by an individual under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot, who was not instrument rated, sustained fatal injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Millington Regional Jetport Airport (NQA) about 0825, with intended destination of Pensacola Regional Airport (PNS).
According to an employee at NQA who spoke with the pilot before departure, the pilot stated he was in a "hurry to depart due to possible bad weather in the area." A weather briefing station was available inside the fixed base operator, but no airport personnel recalled the pilot using it on the day of the accident.
Radar data from Memphis Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) indicated that a radar target identified as the accident airplane flew for about 25 minutes after takeoff from NQA at a relatively constant altitude of about 1,000 feet mean sea level (msl). At 0849:55, the target began to climb with intermittent descents of one to two hundred feet. The last radar return at 0852:27 indicated an altitude of 2,600 feet msl near the accident location.
Several witnesses around the accident site heard the "engine revving up" before the sound of an explosion. Smoke was seen coming from an open meadow area. One witness, located approximately one-third of a mile southwest of the accident site, observed the airplane descending at a wings level attitude about 100 feet above the ground, traveling at high speed from west to northeast. Authorities and first responders reported low cloud ceilings and drizzling rain around the time of the accident.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 48, held a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot certificate with rating for airplane single-engine land. He was issued a third-class medical certificate on July 28, 2010, with no limitations, at which time he reported a total time of 285 flight hours. On an insurance form dated July 2011, he reported 340 total flight hours, of which 280 hours were in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a four-seat, fixed tricycle landing gear Cirrus SR20 manufactured in 2006. It was equipped with a Teledyne Continental IO-360-ES, 210-horsepower, horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine. Review of the airplane logbooks revealed the last annual inspection was conducted on August 13, 2011, at a recorded time of 422.3 total hours.
Meteorological Information
At the time of departure, the NQA 0835 recorded weather observation indicated variable wind at 4 knots; visibility 6 statute miles with mist; overcast clouds at 900 feet above ground level (agl); temperature 24°C; dew point 22°C; altimeter 29.99. The 0854 observation at Memphis International Airport (MEM), located approximately 29 miles west of the accident location, included wind from 080 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 9 miles, overcast clouds at 600 feet agl, temperature 24°C, dew point 22°C, barometric altimeter 29.99 inches of mercury.
GOES-13 infrared imagery at 0902 CDT depicted a large area of low stratiform clouds over the accident site with cloud tops near 8,000 feet, and multiple layers producing overcast cover. Cumulus congestus clouds with vertical development and rain showers were identified east and southwest of Memphis.
A significant number of pilot reports in the vicinity of McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport (MKL), 41 nautical miles northeast of the accident location, indicated overcast clouds with bases between 1,200 and 1,600 feet msl (approximately 800 to 1,200 feet agl) and tops between 2,000 and 5,000 feet msl surrounding the period.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The aircraft struck trees and impacted terrain on the edge of an open meadow on an estimated 035-degree heading. The initial collision was with the top of an approximately 40-foot-tall tree at a ground elevation of 498 feet msl. The airplane impacted terrain about 70 feet beyond the tree, with a descent angle of about 60 degrees. The initial ground impact crater measured approximately 6 feet square, with a ground scar approximately 20 feet wide by 15 feet long, consistent with the right leading edge of the wing and main landing gear, indicating a right wing low attitude at impact. The debris field extended approximately 115 feet wide by 480 feet long from the crater.
The engine was encased in three cowling pieces; the upper cowling exhibited impact damage, while left and right cowlings were not located. Several large fragments of fuselage skin were found. Both cabin doors separated and fractured. All seats separated; front seat airbag seatbelts were deployed. Upper and lower wing skins were found; all flight control surfaces separated from the wing. The roll trim motor was in full right roll trim position; the flap actuator correlated to the flaps up position. Nose and main landing gear assemblies separated. The vertical stabilizer separated from the fuselage; the rudder remained attached. The horizontal stabilizer separated; left and right elevators remained attached. The pitch trim motor was in approximate neutral position.
Examination of the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) showed evidence consistent with activation due to ground impact forces. The CAPS safety pin was not installed and not located. The activation handle separated from the cable; the cable remained intact. The rocket motor separated and was expended; the packed parachute was found extracted from the airplane but still in the D-Bag, with all harnesses attached.
Engine inspection revealed no anomalies that would have prevented producing rated horsepower. The engine separated from the airframe and was found inverted about 10 feet from the cockpit. The throttle cable remained attached. The propeller and forward crankshaft separated and were found about 10 feet forward and left of the engine. All damage was consistent with impact forces.
Additional Information
Multi-function display (MFD) and primary flight display (PFD) were recovered, but due to excessive damage, no viable data could be extracted.
Enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) data recorded heading, GPS position, GPS altitude, and vertical speed. The highest recorded altitude was about 2,700 feet msl about 10 seconds before recording ended. The last 10 seconds exhibited steadily increasing negative vertical speed; the last two seconds indicated a descent rate from 5,000 to 15,000 feet per minute. Roll rate varied from 24 degrees right to 28 degrees left. Ground speed peaked at 140 knots two seconds before the end, then decreased to 20 knots in two seconds. Two EGPWS alerts occurred: a Mode 1 "Sink Rate" caution and a "Pull Up" warning.
Medical and pathological information: An autopsy conducted on July 12, 2012, found multiple blunt traumatic injuries. Forensic toxicology detected no ethanol or drugs.