History of Flight
On January 9, 2015, at about 1615 mountain standard time, a Cirrus Design Corp. SR22, registration N383GM, sustained substantial damage when it impacted water approximately 7 miles north of Bolinder Field-Tooele Valley Airport (TVY) in Tooele, Utah. The aircraft was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. Visual flight rules (VFR) conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed South Valley Regional Airport (U42) in Salt Lake City, Utah, around 1605 for an unknown destination.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Alert Notification (ALNOT) after a family member reported the pilot failed to return. A search began, and the following morning, the county police department located the wreckage in the Great Salt Lake.
The aircraft was equipped with an Avidyne Entegra Multifunctional Display (MFD) that recorded flight data on a compact flash (CF) memory card. The card was recovered and sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory. The data covered part of the accident flight but lacked altitude information. It showed takeoff at 1605:30, with a brief GPS interruption after departure. The first recorded position placed the aircraft about 1.3 miles northwest of the departure end of runway 34 at U42 at 1608:30. The ground track continued northwest, crossing the eastern shoreline of the Great Salt Lake at 1612:06, then turning west over the southern portion of the lake. At 1613:42, the final minute of data showed engine speed decreasing from 2400 to 2200 rpm and manifold pressure dropping from 23 to 18 inches of mercury, until recording stopped at 1614:48.
Radar data showed the airplane turned left to a heading of approximately 210° magnetic and flew about 3.0 nautical miles at an average ground speed of 170 knots during the final minute. No altitude information was available as the transponder was not on. The heading was consistent with a flight toward TVY, though the destination was undetermined.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 69, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. He was issued a third-class medical certificate on May 3, 2013, with no limitations. During the examination, he reported 650 total flight hours. According to his logbooks, he had logged 65.1 hours in the previous 90 days. He did not possess an instrument rating but began training in 2013, accumulating about 12.7 hours, with no further training after June 2013.
Aircraft Information
The four-seat, low-wing, fixed-gear SR22, serial number 0555, was manufactured in 2003. It was powered by a Continental IO-550-N engine (310 hp) with a Hartzell propeller. The annual inspection was completed on November 21, 2014, at an airframe total time of 1,145.1 hours. Weight and balance were within limits.
Meteorological Information
Weather at Salt Lake City International Airport (about 21 miles east) at 1553 reported wind 280° at 6 knots, visibility 3 statute miles in haze, temperature 37°C, dew point 32°C, and altimeter 30.12 inHg. For the accident area, no Center Weather Advisories or SIGMETs were forecast, but several reports noted reduced visibility near the lake shore. An AIRMET issued at 1345 indicated visibility below 3 statute miles with mist and fog. A local NWS short-term forecast at 1050 mentioned dense fog near the accident location, particularly along the shore of the Great Salt Lake. A Dense Fog Advisory was issued at 1526 for the area, including the shores but not specifically the accident site, noting patchy fog that could be locally dense near the lake. At 1630, about 15 minutes after the accident, a hazardous weather outlook identified dense fog along the southern shores of the Great Salt Lake.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination of the accident site by the NTSB revealed the aircraft impacted water about 7 miles west of the Great Lake State Parks Marina. Most major components were within 15 feet of the main wreckage, which consisted of wings, fuselage, and tail section floating in water. The wreckage was anchored by control cables and wiring attached to the instrument panel and firewall, resting at the bottom of the lake (about 8 feet deep). Miscellaneous debris was scattered within about 1 mile of the main wreckage. The airplane was partially submerged, rolled on its right side, oriented at about 055° magnetic.
The engine had separated from the fuselage and was not located. All flight control surfaces except the left aileron were accounted for. The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) safety pin was found in the activation handle holder, and the CAPS had not been deployed. No evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures was found.
Communications
The pilot did not communicate with any FAA facility; no ATC recordings were available.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Utah Department of Health determined the cause of death as drowning. Toxicological tests by CAMI found the following: Bupropion (antidepressant), Dihydrocodeine and Hydromorphone (metabolites of Hydrocodone), and Losartan (hypertension medication). These findings were reviewed by the NTSB Chief Medical Officer.
Tests and Research
Further airframe examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures. The Pilot's Operating Handbook states that the CAPS safety pin should be removed during preflight. The FAA Instrument Flying Handbook notes that many accidents occur when pilots lack skills for marginal VMC or IMC, and that flying into fog can create an illusion of pitching up. The FAA Pilot's Flying Handbook states that if the natural horizon disappears, an untrained instrument pilot may experience vertigo, spatial disorientation, and control loss, and that accident statistics show such pilots often lose control within about 10 minutes when forced to rely solely on instruments.