History of Flight
On July 22, 2015, about 1044 eastern daylight time, a Cirrus SR20, registration N610DA, was destroyed when it impacted terrain during a go-around at Lake Wales Municipal Airport (X07), Lake Wales, Florida. The flight instructor was seriously injured, and the private pilot receiving instruction was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight from Orlando Sanford International Airport to Page Field Airport. The airplane was operated by Aerosim Flight Academy under Part 91.
According to the flight instructor, while in cruise flight at 5,000 feet mean sea level, air traffic control changed their enroute waypoint. As the instructor demonstrated a GPS route change, they noticed a puff of black smoke from under the student's legs. The smoke dissipated quickly, followed by an oil pressure warning light and alarm. The instructor took over, declared an emergency, and diverted to X07. He maintained 4,000 feet until the airport was in sight and reported short final for runway 17.
The instructor stated he was too high and fast, attempted a side-slip, then aborted the landing and initiated a 360-degree turn. Advancing the throttle yielded no power. He saw an adjacent runway with a yellow X but elected to land there. Engine power was completely lost; at about 400 feet above ground level, he instructed the student to deploy the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The parachute did not fully arrest the descent before the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall and crashed in wooded terrain. The instructor called 911 after the crash.
Witnesses observed the airplane approach runway 17, abort the landing, throttle up, and fly down the runway. It then turned left toward the departure end of runway 6, appearing slow and wobbly before entering a descending left turn. The airframe parachute deployed but did not fully inflate before impact.
Personnel Information
The flight instructor, age 33, held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument ratings, and a flight instructor certificate with corresponding ratings. His most recent first-class medical certificate was issued in April 2013 without limitations. He had accumulated about 1,170 total flight hours.
The private pilot, age 26, held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating. He was issued a combined student pilot and first-class medical certificate with a corrective lenses limitation. He passed his check ride on April 5, 2015, and received his private pilot certificate on April 13, 2015. His flight training log showed about 70 hours of total flight experience, all in the accident airplane make and model.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 2007. It was powered by a Continental IO-360-ES16B engine rated at 210 horsepower, equipped with a Hartzell two-blade constant-speed propeller. The last 100-hour inspection occurred on July 11, 2015, at an airframe total time of 6,263.8 hours. The engine had accumulated 2,046 total hours. According to Continental Motors Service Information Letter SIL 98-9C, the recommended overhaul interval was 2,200 hours.
Meteorological Information
Weather recorded at Bartow Municipal Airport, 9 nautical miles northwest of the accident site, at 1047 included winds from 250 degrees at 7 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, scattered clouds at 2,000 feet, temperature 28°C, dew point 24°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.02 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
All major airframe components were accounted for at the scene. The wreckage path was oriented on a heading of about 320 degrees magnetic and was 46 feet long. The right wing was splintered and the fuel tank breached. The cockpit was broken from the fuselage and crushed; the fuselage showed crush damage throughout. The empennage was intact with impact damage. The left wing was intact, with about 12 gallons of fuel drained from the main tank. Flight control continuity was established. The engine was impact-damaged and crushed aft toward the firewall. The propeller was fractured from the crankshaft and found about 20 feet from the main wreckage. The CAPS was deployed and located about 226 feet from the main wreckage.
Engine examination revealed impact damage. The exhaust pipes were crushed. Cylinders were borescoped; pistons and cylinder domes had normal combustion deposits, but oil ports on pistons were clogged with coking, and oil control rings on all pistons were stuck. Connecting rod bearings showed evidence of incipient oil starvation. The crankshaft was broken at the flange where it entered the crankcase halves; continuity was maintained when rotated. Thumb compression was obtained on all cylinders. The oil sump was impact damaged with a small amount of oil and no metal particles. A large amount of oil residue was noted on the belly.
Spark plugs exhibited normal wear with light gray deposits. The top number one spark plug was broken. The left magneto had a hole in its side; both magnetos sparked when rotated. The fuel pump was impact damaged; the drive coupling was not damaged. The throttle body and metering unit were impact damaged but no internal damage was observed. The oil screen was clean and coated with oil; the oil pump was not damaged. The oil filter was separated and not located.
The propeller had separated from the engine during impact; the crankshaft fractured aft of the mounting flange. Both blades appeared on the low pitch setting with chordwise abrasion. Impact marks indicated the propeller was in the normal operating blade angle range before impact.
Additional Information
The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) was designed to lower the aircraft in an emergency. The manufacturer reported a demonstrated altitude loss of 400 feet from a straight and level deployment for the SR20, and 920 feet from a one-turn spin. Section 10 of the pilot operating handbook described CAPS as intended for life-threatening emergencies but noted that deployment could result in airframe damage and possible severe injury or death.
Medical and Pathological Information
Forensic toxicology on the flight instructor was negative for drugs and alcohol. Toxicology testing and an autopsy were not performed on the private pilot.
Tests and Research
The operator provided oil consumption data: from June 1 to June 30, 2015, 9 quarts were added in 67.2 flight hours; from July 1 to the accident, 17 quarts were added in 68.1 flight hours. Continental Motors guidance states oil consumption exceeding one quart every three hours should prompt a cylinder differential pressure check and borescope inspection.
Non-volatile data from the engine showed stable readings during most of the flight with fuel flow about 9.9 gph, manifold pressure about 22.6 inches, and oil pressure about 40 psi. At about 10:33, the airplane climbed to about 4,900 feet, with fuel flow increasing to 16 gph and manifold pressure to 26 inches. At 10:35:24, oil pressure was 38 psi; at 10:35:36, it dropped to 24 psi; at 10:35:42, to 8 psi; and by 10:35:48, to 3 psi, remaining below that for the remainder. By 10:36:00, data indicated a power reduction with manifold pressure about 11 inches and fuel flow around 4 gph. At 10:39:30, further power reduction showed manifold pressure about 9 inches and fuel flow 2.0 to 2.3 gph. Engine data ended at 10:40:30, with the last data point about 0.38 miles from the arrival end of runway 17 at a pressure altitude of 257 feet.
Primary Flight Display (PFD) data after that showed a marked increase in engine percent power, manifold pressure, and RPM. The airplane reached its lowest altitude of about 283 feet about a quarter mile north of the runway 17 arrival end, with indicated airspeed 106 knots and descent rate 1,306 feet per minute. At the runway 17 threshold, altitude was about 338 feet, airspeed 95 knots, and altitude rate positive 563 feet per minute. The airplane then turned left, followed by roll and pitch oscillations. The last data point showed 22.66 degrees nose-down pitch and 99.54 degrees of right roll.