2012 Cirrus SR22 Crash Near Salina, Utah (N86AA)

Accident Overview and Flight Details On July 14, 2012, at approximately 1130 Mountain Daylight Time (MDT), a Cirrus SR22, registration N86AA, impacted terrain near Salina, Utah. The aircraft was operated by Springhill Aviation LLC under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The flight was a local cross-country personal trip from Concord, California, to Aspen, Colorado, with a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight plan filed. Visual and instrument meteorological conditions were reported along the route. The pilot and one passenger were fatally injured, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage from impact forces. Following the loss of radar contact, an alert notice (ALNOT) was issued. Local law enforcement and the Civil Air Patrol began a search, and the wreckage was located by Sevier County Sheriff's department personnel in a civilian helicopter at approximately 1800 MDT on July 15, 2012. The accident site was situated on the northern slope of a ridgeline in the Fishlake National Forest, with a field elevation of 7,928 feet mean sea level (msl). The debris field extended roughly 100 feet wide by 425 feet long, parallel to the ridge crest, with an energy path of 263 degrees magnetic. The first point of impact was a pine tree, and the main wreckage was found in a crater about 3 feet deep. The engine came to rest oriented along a 200-degree magnetic heading, and propeller blades were found protruding from the dirt. The aircraft fragmented during the accident sequence, with wing skin fragments located 70 feet from the main wreckage. All damage was attributed to accident forces. The Primary Flight Display (PFD) and Multi-Function Display (MFD) memory module were recovered from the debris field, but no data was recovered from the components due to missing chips and fragmented circuit boards. ## Personnel and Aircraft Information The 59-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating and a third-class medical certificate dated April 25, 2012, with a limitation for near-vision glasses. The pilot had not received transition training from Cirrus. The pilot's logbook, recovered from the accident site, covered entries from December 28, 2003, through June 26, 2012. The pilot began initial flight training in late December 2003, primarily in a Cessna 172, with some lessons in a Cirrus SR20. A February 14, 2005, logbook entry noted an instructional flight from Klamath Falls, Oregon, to Redding, California, with remarks stating “picked up SR22” and the registration N86AA. The pilot passed the private pilot practical flight exam on June 20, 2005, in a Cessna 172 with about 211 flight hours logged. Mid-July 2005, the pilot began receiving instruction in the accident aircraft. The logbook indicated biennial flight reviews in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Cirrus Owners Pilot Association (COPA) records showed the pilot attended a COPA Cirrus Pilot Proficiency Program (CPPP) event in Concord, California, in October 2008 as a “ground participant” and another in October 2012, where flight time was logged. The pilot had accumulated a total of 600 flight hours, with 484 hours in the accident make and model. In the last 90 days, the pilot had 7.5 hours, 1.3 hours in the last 30 days, and zero hours in the last 24 hours. The Cirrus SR22, serial number 1131, registration N86AA, received its standard airworthiness certificate on October 19, 2004. The aircraft was purchased new by the pilot directly from Cirrus in October 2004. It was equipped with an S-TEC 55X autopilot, TKS anti-icing system, Avidyne Primary Flight Display (PFD) and Multi-Function Display (MFD), dual Garmin GNS430s, engine monitoring, Sky Watch, and XM weather. Airframe total time was undetermined. No airplane records were found at the accident site, and the pilot's family could not locate maintenance records. Records from Sterling Aviation in Concord indicated a 100-hour/annual inspection was completed on October 27, 2011, with an airframe total time of 588.7 hours. ## Meteorological and Radar Information A staff meteorologist for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) prepared a weather study. The closest weather reporting station to the accident site was Joe's Valley, located 28 miles north at 8,700 feet, which reported a temperature of 53 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point of 51 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 94%, and reduced visibility and/or a ceiling less than 1,000 feet, supporting mountain obscuration conditions. The wind was from the south-southwest at 5 knots. The National Weather Service (NWS) had a Convective Significant Meteorological Information (SIGMET) 54W for embedded thunderstorms south of the accident site moving north at 20 knots with tops to 43,000 feet, and an Airmen's Meteorological Information (AIRMET) for mountain obscuration. Observations from Price, Utah (KPUC), indicated multiple layers of clouds and rain showers with Visual Flight Rules (VFR) conditions, while Bryce Canyon (KBCE), south of the accident site, reported Low Instrument Flight Rules (LIFR) conditions due to rain, fog/mist, with ceilings broken to overcast between 200 and 400 feet above ground level (agl). Based on Bryce Canyon conditions, ceilings over the accident site may have been at 8,000 feet msl with visibility restricted in rain. The Remote Automatic Weather Station (RAWS) at Joe's Valley did not have a visibility or ceilometer but reported 94% relative humidity with a 1-degree temperature-dew point spread, supporting low ceilings and/or visibility in rain/mist. Other RAWS sites at higher elevations reported similar conditions. A pilot report at 1138 MDT from a Beechcraft BE35 at 7,500 feet, 20 miles north of Cedar City, Utah, immediately west of the accident site, reported obscured mountains. Another report from a Cessna CRJ over the Cedar City area reported cloud bases at 9,000 feet with icing conditions between 12,000 and 13,000 feet. Other aircraft reported isolated rain showers in all quadrants, with some producing moderate to heavy precipitation. Radar and satellite imagery depicted convective clouds over the route and accident site with tops to 27,500 feet, similar to conditions observed over Bryce Canyon. The NWS Aviation Weather Center's (AWC) Area Forecast expected scattered clouds at 12,000 feet msl and broken at 15,000 feet with tops to 28,000 feet, amended by an AIRMET for mountain obscuration. The Terminal Area Forecast (TAF) for Bryce Canyon indicated a temporary period of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) conditions in rain showers near the time of the accident. The TAF was amended at 1012 MDT to reflect actual conditions, which were IFR with ceilings broken at 200 feet until 1100 MDT with thunderstorms in the vicinity afterwards. The TAF did not verify actual conditions, as IFR conditions prevailed during the entire period. The original forecasts implied Visual Flight Rules (VFR) conditions would prevail, which did not verify based on observations. Radar data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reviewed by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) showed the aircraft traversing from west to east at a Mode C altitude of 13,700 feet msl. During the last 2 minutes of radar data, the target indicated a slow climbing turn to 14,200 feet msl. The last radar return was at 11:28:54 MDT, indicating a sharper left turn at a reported altitude of 13,500 feet msl before radar contact was lost. The accident site was located 1.5 nautical miles southeast of the last radar return. An Air Traffic Control Study was completed by an air traffic investigator and attached to the public docket. ## Communications and Medical Information The aircraft was in contact with Salt Lake City Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) on frequency 125.57. The recorded communications between Air Traffic Control (ATC) (ZLC44) and N86AA included a radar contact loss at 1710:48Z, with the pilot reporting an altitude of 13,500 feet. ATC terminated radar service and instructed the pilot to squawk VFR and contact Denver Center on 134.5 as they approached the Canyon Lands area. The pilot acknowledged and reported being over Richfield. No further communications were obtained. The Sevier County Coroner completed an autopsy on July 18, 2012. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicological testing of the pilot's specimens. The cause of death was blunt force injuries as a result of the airplane accident. Review of FAA medical certificates and supporting documentation indicated the pilot reported no significant past medical history, and the Airman Medical Examiner (AME) identified no significant issues on physical examination. Toxicological analysis could not be conducted due to tissue putrefaction, so no determination could be made as to whether tested-for-drugs or ethanol posed a hazard to flight safety. Based on available history and physical examinations, the pilot had no known medical issues that would pose a hazard to flight safety. ## Tests and Research On August 14, 2012, the recovered aircraft and engine were examined at Air Transport Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona, by the investigation team. The airframe and engine were examined, and no mechanical anomalies were identified that would have precluded normal operations. The PFD and MFD were shipped to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory for further examination. Vehicle Recorders specialists reported that the circuit cards were correct but the chips containing data were not present on the boards. No data was recovered from any of the recovered components.