History of Flight
On August 3, 2013, at 0456 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR22, registration N225CD, was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain approximately 0.6 nautical miles west of the Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS) in Chesterfield, Missouri. The airplane was departing SUS en route to Dalhart Municipal Airport, Texas. The private pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight plan had been filed.
The pilot contacted the Fort Worth Automated Flight Service Station at 0321 for a standard weather briefing. The briefer provided information about low IFR conditions at SUS and along the intended route. The pilot then filed an IFR flight plan to proceed southwest via St. Joseph, Missouri, to Dalhart for fuel, with visual conditions expected later. At 0451, the pilot contacted St. Louis Terminal Radar Approach Control for departure clearance. The tower at SUS was closed. The controller cleared the pilot to 3,000 feet mean sea level, with an expected climb to 10,000 feet 10 minutes after departure. At 0452, the pilot was released for departure and told to proceed on course when able, with no further communications.
Approach control radar data showed the airplane became airborne at about 0456. The first four radar returns indicated a climb to 600 feet msl (±50 feet), with the fifth return at 500 feet msl (±50 feet). The last radar return was about 0.3 nautical miles from the departure end of runway 26R (elevation 463 feet). A witness driving south on N. Eatherton Road, perpendicular to runway 26R about 0.3 nautical miles west, observed the airplane's navigation lights for 3–5 seconds as it traveled west at high speed in approximately a 20-degree descent. The witness saw a fireball upon impact and reported that weather conditions were very foggy, describing it as the worst fog that year.
Personnel Information
The 41-year-old private pilot held single-engine land and airplane instrument ratings, the latter obtained on February 14, 2013. He had about 475 total flight hours, with approximately 154 hours in the accident airplane. He flew about 24 hours in the last 30 days. His instrument instructor noted the pilot was quick to engage the autopilot early in training, but they worked on hand-flying to improve skills. The instructor never flew with the pilot in actual IMC. The designated pilot examiner reported that the pilot failed his first instrument check ride in January 2013 due to off-course deviations on ILS and GPS approaches, but met all standards on the second attempt in February 2013. The pilot's wife stated he had been on vacation since July 31, had normal sleep cycles, and was healthy. She was uncertain about his sleep the night before.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a single-engine Cirrus SR22, serial number 0031, with a Continental IO-550N 310-horsepower engine. It seated four and had a maximum gross weight of 3,400 pounds. The last annual inspection was on September 11, 2012, at 1,800.8 hours total time. The last oil change was on July 21, 2013, at 2,067.4 engine hours. An Avidyne EX5000 MFD was installed on July 18, 2013, to replace a faulty ARNAV unit. On July 31, 2013, the pitot-static system, transponder, and altitude encoder were tested and certified. A co-owner reported flying the airplane the day before the accident in IMC, using the autopilot except for takeoff and landing, and stated all instruments worked properly. He also noted the MFD operated correctly after installation.
Meteorological Information
Surface observations at SUS at 0454 reported wind 010° at 4 knots, visibility 3 miles in mist, overcast ceiling at 400 feet agl, temperature 22°C, dew point 21°C, altimeter 29.95 inHg. A special observation at 0512 indicated visibility 1¾ miles in mist, ceiling variable from 200 to 600 feet.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The impact site was located west of SUS on a magnetic heading of about 250° from the departure end of runway 26R. The wreckage path spanned about 350 feet on the same heading. A piece of the right wingtip was embedded in a tree about 30 feet above ground near the edge of the woods. Another tree was struck about 96 feet from the initial impact, with a propeller slash mark and gray paint transfer. The left wing and spar were found about 150 feet from the initial impact, with extensive fire damage. The Cirrus Aircraft Parachute System (CAPS) rocket had fired, but the parachute was found packed and unopened in its deployment bag. The empennage was found about 200 feet from the initial impact, with control cable continuity confirmed for elevator, rudder, and left aileron. The flap actuator was in the flaps-up position. The pilot-side attitude gyro displayed about a 4° nose-down, 3° right-wing-down attitude. The engine exhibited impact damage with a fractured crankshaft and torsion signatures. Propeller blades showed bending and leading-edge damage. The directional gyro and attitude gyro were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for examination; the gyro housings and rotors showed circumferential marks consistent with rotation at impact.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on August 4, 2013, listed the cause of death as craniocerebral blunt trauma. Toxicological testing detected ethanol at 39 mg/dL in blood, 38 mg/dL in muscle, and 38 mg/dL in kidney, consistent with putrefaction. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were found in blood and liver, and trimethoprim in blood and liver. Pseudoephedrine and trimethoprim are used for cold and allergy symptoms. No carbon monoxide was detected.
Tests and Research
Examination of the MFD memory card revealed a cracked chip with no recoverable data. Memory cards from a GoPro Hero 3 and a Drift HD camera contained files not related to the accident flight. The NTSB Materials laboratory found circumferential marks on the directional gyro housing and rotor, consistent with rotation. The attitude gyro similarly showed circumferential scratches and marks on the rotor and housing.