On November 13, 2015, about 0910 eastern standard time, a Cirrus SR22, N334CM, operated by private individual, was substantially damaged during a forced landing, following a total loss of engine power near Jefferson, North Carolina. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which was destined for Lancaster Airport (LNS), Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated from Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK), Atlanta, Georgia about 0800.
According to the pilot, he was in cruise flight for almost 1 hour at 11,500 feet and everything was normal. Then he noticed the autopilot pitch of the airplane was starting to increase in an effort to maintain altitude and the manifold air pressure was decreasing. At this time, the rpm and oil pressure were normal. The airplane started losing altitude and the needle for the manifold air pressure gauge was shaking. The pilot increased throttle, but no change in power or rpm was indicated. The pilot further stated that he diverted direct to the nearest airport, which was Ashe County Airport (GEV), Jefferson, North Carolina. The airplane was high over the airport and the pilot circled the airport three times to lose altitude. On his last turn to final approach, the headwinds were stronger than expected and the pilot knew the airplane was not going to reach the runway as the engine had lost all power. At that time, he deployed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System and the airplane descended into a field.
Examination of the wreckage at the accident site revealed that the firewall was damaged. The engine cowlings were crushed and the propeller blades were bent. The airframe and engine were examined at a recovery facility in preparation for a test-run. The fuel that was drained at the accident site was used for the engine run. The propeller was removed and a spare propeller was placed on the engine. The airplane was secured to a trailer and the engine mounts were also secured. The engine started after approximately one to two revolutions of the propeller. Engine oil pressure was 59 psi and came down slightly after warm up. The engine was set to 1,000 rpm and allowed to run for 4 to 5 minutes before the engine was shut down with the mixture lever so replacement manifold air pressure and fuel flow gage could be utilized. The engine was restarted and all gauges were functional. The engine was not run to high power due to the engine mounts being fractured. There were no discrepancies noted that would have prevented the engine from reaching its designed rated horsepower.
The engine was then sent to the manufacturer for a full power test-run. The engine was secured to an engine run stand and a three-bladed propeller was installed. The engine started immediately and was idled for several minutes to warm up before the high power runs. The engine was run at several different power settings from idle to full power and all parameters were within manufactures specification limits. After approximately 30 minutes of run time, the engine was shut down and no anomalies were noted.
According to FAA records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with an instrument rating. He held an FAA third-class medical certificate, issued May 22, 2012. The pilot reported that he had accumulated 335 hours total flight experience, and 273 hours total flight experience in the accident airplane make and model at the time of the accident.
According to FAA and aircraft maintenance records, the airplane was originally issued an airworthiness certificate on June 9, 2004, and registered to the owner on December 26, 2012. It was powered by a Continental IO-550-N engine and driven by a three bladed Hartzell propeller. According to maintenance records the most recent annual inspection was conducted on July 29, 2015, with a recorded time in service of 2,559.0 hours. The engine was overhauled on May 4, 2015, and had accumulated 112.1 total hours at the time of the accident.