Accident Overview
On December 27, 2015, about 1656 central standard time, a Cirrus SR22 airplane, registration N5PF, was substantially damaged during ground impact after departing from Watertown Municipal Airport (RYV), Watertown, Wisconsin. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan with a planned destination of Kenosha Regional Airport (ENW), Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Sequence of Events
The pilot flew multiple instrument approaches at various airports prior to departure from RYV. Recorded data indicated that about 4 minutes after departure, the engine began to surge and subsequently lost power. The pilot attempted unsuccessfully to regain engine power and turned back to RYV. After recognizing insufficient altitude to glide to RYV and with concerns about a forced landing in night conditions, the pilot deployed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The fuselage subsequently sustained damage during a nose-down impact with the ground.
Findings
Examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel system, from the fuel selector to the fuel tanks, remained intact with no breaches. Twenty-one ounces of fuel were recovered from the right fuel tank system, and the fuel selector was in the right tank position. The left fuel tank system contained about 22 gallons of fuel. The electric boost pump operated normally when connected to a battery. No pre-accident anomalies were noted with the engine or engine-related components.
Non-volatile data from the accident flight showed that during the last departure climb, fuel pressure dropped, followed by a short rise in exhaust gas temperature (EGT) that rapidly decreased to zero. Fuel flow during the departure climb was about 30 gallons per hour (gph), then dropped and fluctuated between 1.5 and 11.5 gph for the last two minutes.
CAPS Deployment
Rocket extraction of the parachute from its enclosure to full line stretch typically takes 1-2 seconds, and complete parachute inflation typically takes 4-6 seconds from activation. The accident airplane's reefing line cutters were designed to fire 8 seconds after parachute extraction activates them, lowering the tail into its optimized landing attitude. However, the rear harness was found snubbed and still folded with tack stitching present, and the reefing line cutters were expended but present in their Velcro enclosure, consistent with firing after touchdown. Non-volatile data estimated CAPS activation at about 344 feet above ground level, and this altitude and descent profile were consistent with incomplete CAPS deployment and the nose-down ground impact.
Pilot Actions
Although the pilot's normal habit pattern was to alternate between fuel tanks every 30 minutes using the GPS timer, he became distracted and did not accomplish this during the last hour of the flight. After engine power loss, the pilot did not attempt to switch fuel tanks with the fuel selector, as directed by the Cirrus SR22 pilot operating handbook (POH) engine failure checklist. The pilot stated that his goal for future flights was more regimented adherence to checklists and flows during distractions and ingraining emergency procedures to muscle memory, such as switching fuel tanks.
The airplane was equipped with a fuel caution light that illuminates if fuel quantity in both tanks falls below 14 gallons; it does not illuminate if one tank is low and the other contains more than 14 gallons.