History of Flight
On November 9, 2015, about 1052 mountain standard time, a Cirrus Design Corporation SR22 airplane, N752C, was destroyed when it impacted terrain north of the City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport (COS), Colorado Springs, Colorado. A postimpact fire ensued. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to Linkup Aviation LLC. and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The flight was originating at the time of the accident and was en route to Northwest Regional Airport (52F), Roanoke, Texas.
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control transcripts, the accident airplane contacted COS ground control at 1046:41, reported they were ready to taxi, and requested an intersection departure from taxiway A3. The controller cleared the pilot to taxi to runway 35L via A3. At 1050:12, the pilot reported holding short of runway 35L at alpha three and was ready for departure. The controller cleared the pilot for takeoff and instructed him to fly runway heading. At 1051:44, the pilot reported "having engine problems we'd like to turn around." The controller instructed the pilot to enter a left downwind for runway 35L. No other transmissions were recorded.
Witnesses reported varied observations. One witness heard the engine surge during takeoff. Another witness watched the airplane take off from the intersection and noted it remained on the ground for several thousand feet before becoming airborne, reaching an estimated 100-150 ft above ground when it passed. A third witness on the ramp did not hear unusual engine sounds. A fourth witness observed the airplane in a steep bank at the end of the runway but did not witness the accident.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 63, held a private pilot certificate with airplane single engine land and instrument airplane ratings. He was issued a third class medical certificate on November 4, 2013, with the limitation "Not valid for night flying or by color signal control. Must wear corrective lenses."
A Taxlog Tax record flight log was found adjacent to the main wreckage. The first discernable date on page 6 was in 2009. All recorded flights were in the accident airplane. The last entry was dated March 17, 2015, from 52F to AEE/VGT. Two flights before that, dated February 19, 2015, the pilot successfully completed a flight review and an instrument proficiency check in the airplane. Based on the flight log, the airplane was likely based at 52F. The pilot had flown to COS on two occasions and to Albuquerque, New Mexico, twice. The majority of the pilot's flying was conducted out of airports with field elevations below 1,000 ft msl.
On the pilot's medical certificate application dated October 4, 2011, he reported total flight time of 2,350 hours. He did not report total flight time on the November 4, 2013 application.
Aircraft Information
The airplane, a Cirrus SR22 (serial number 0421), was manufactured in 2002. It was registered with the FAA on a standard airworthiness certificate for normal operations. A Teledyne Continental Motors IO-550-N27B engine (serial number 688902) rated at 310 horsepower at 2,700 rpm powered the airplane. The engine was equipped with a Hartzell three-blade, variable pitched propeller.
The airplane was registered to Linkup Aviation LLC., operated by the pilot, and maintained under an annual inspection program. Maintenance records were not recovered. An invoice from the family indicated an annual inspection was completed on October 23, 2015, at a Hobbs meter reading of 3,204.5 hours. During the inspection, sparkplugs were replaced and a 500-hour inspection was completed on the magnetos.
Meteorological Information
The closest official weather reporting station was COS. The routine aviation weather report (METAR) for COS recorded wind at 200° at 8 knots, sky condition broken clouds at 23,000 ft, temperature 14° Celsius, dewpoint temperature -13° Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 29.99 inches of mercury. Calculations indicated a density altitude of 7,446 ft.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest in a field about 1/2 mile north of the departure end of runway 35L, at an elevation of 6,200 ft msl, on a heading of 270°. A large ground scar about 30 ft long with three prominent craters was located east of the main wreckage. The field was burned in a radius immediately surrounding the wreckage and to the north at least a half mile.
The airplane was upright; wreckage included the fuselage, engine and propeller assembly, both wings, and the empennage. The entire wreckage was charred, melted, and partially consumed by fire. The left and right cabin doors separated from the airframe. The instrument panel provided a Kollsman window reading of 30.01, attitude indicator 20° nose down, and airspeed indicator 0 knots. Both the fuel mixture control and engine throttle control were found forward in the cabin. The engine throttle was in the idle position at the engine, and the cable was stretched. The fuel mixture was close to full rich at the engine. The fuel selector valve handle was in the left detent, but the valves were consistent with the right fuel tank being selected.
Seatbelt assemblies for both front occupants were found latched. Pilot and passenger seat energy absorption modules were crushed flat. The flap actuator jack screw was extended about 2 inches, consistent with 50% or 16° of flap extension. Control continuity to all flight controls was confirmed. The Kevlar straps from the ballistic recovery parachute extended aft; the parachute remained packed, and the rocket propellant was expended.
No preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operation.
Flight Recorders
The airplane was equipped with an Avidyne Primary Flight Display (PFD) and Multi-Function Display (MFD). The MFD flash memory device was recovered and sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory. The card contained GPS track data and 61 engine log files. One data file was associated with the accident flight and was 11 minutes 6 seconds in duration.
The recording began at 1034:06 near a tie down area at COS. Manifold pressure was recorded at 12 inHg and rpm at 920. Exhaust gas temperature (EGT) values for cylinder No.5 ranged from 0°F to about 1,000°F. Anomalous EGT values for cylinder No. 4 were recorded throughout. At 1044:24, manifold pressure increased to between 22 and 23 inHg, and rpm reached a maximum of 2,620. The recording ended at 1045:12 near the departure end of runway 35L. The time stamp of the MFD data and ATC transcripts were not correlated.
Medical and Pathological Information
The El Paso County Coroner performed an autopsy on the pilot on November 10, 2015. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries; the manner of death was accident. No evidence of natural disease was found.
The FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory performed toxicological tests. Results were negative for carbon monoxide and ethanol. The testing detected sertraline (90 ng/ml), diphenhydramine (52 ng/ml), and cetirizine in cavity blood. Rosuvastatin and salicylate were detected in urine. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was detected in lung, but not cavity blood, and its inactive metabolite was detected in tissues and urine. The El Paso County Coroner toxicology urine drug test was positive for THC-COOH, diphenhydramine, and naproxen. Femoral blood tested positive for diphenhydramine at less than 50 ng/ml.
A review of the pilot's medical history revealed he had reported elevated cholesterol and used Rosuvastatin and niacin. Two months before the accident, he was diagnosed with depression and started treatment with sertraline.
Tests and Research
Engine examination revealed fuel injector nozzles free of contamination. Spark plugs were dark and sooted with normal signatures. The left magneto would not rotate due to internal gear damage; after gear removal, it actuated normally. The right magneto rotated with resistance and showed no anomalies. The fuel pump had internal heat damage but was otherwise unremarkable. The oil pump exhibited damage consistent with rotation at impact. The timing gear was impact damaged, and the No. 3 cylinder piston head had a witness mark consistent with a valve strike. The engine was otherwise unremarkable.
Propeller examination: Blade A was bent forward with scoring consistent with impact at a positive angle under power. Blade B bent aft with a witness mark consistent with high pitch. Blade C bent forward. The pitch change knob for blade C was broken; separation signatures were consistent with overload. Excessive grease was found inside the propeller hub cavity. Damage and scoring were consistent with engine power at impact.