History of Flight
On April 24, 2017, about 1825 eastern daylight time, a Cirrus Design Corporation SR22, registration N94LP, impacted terrain in Wallingford, Connecticut, following a loss of control during an aborted landing at Meriden Markham Municipal Airport (MMK), Meriden, Connecticut. The private pilot was fatally injured and the passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
According to witness statements and security camera video, the airplane departed the airport to the east at about 1740 and returned around 1817. Witnesses described the airplane as "fast and high" as it approached runway 18. The airplane flared about 10 ft above the runway before abruptly descending and touching down about halfway down the runway. It bounced two or three times, became airborne again, banked about 30° left, and climbed to traffic pattern altitude.
During the second landing approach, the airplane appeared slower but was again high. It flared about 10 ft above the runway, abruptly descended, touched down about halfway down, bounced two or three times, and the pilot initiated a go-around. One witness reported that during the climb, the airplane entered a 40° nose-up attitude and sounded as if it was "hanging on its prop." At about 75 ft above the ground, it rolled into a steep left descending turn, impacted the ground, cartwheeled, hit the airport perimeter fence, slid across the ground while continuing to turn left, came to rest, and caught fire.
The passenger, the pilot's son, stated that the accident flight was his father's first flight in the airplane without an instructor and was a proficiency flight for an upcoming trip to North Carolina. He did not handle the controls and noted no unusual noises or issues with the airplane. During the first landing attempt, the pilot said "oops," initiated a go-around, and said "let's try it again." During the second attempt, the airplane bounced "a couple of times" and the bounces were "pretty high."
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on February 1, 2017, at which time he reported about 1,200 total hours of flight experience. He had flown out of MMK for several years, previously owned a Piper PA-28-180, and had purchased the accident airplane about 3 weeks before the accident. After purchase, he received transition training from a local flight instructor who also owned an SR22. He received ground instruction and 2 hours of dual instruction in the instructor's SR22, and 8.5 hours of dual instruction in the accident airplane, performing 12 landings. The flight instructor endorsed him for operation of high-performance airplanes on April 23, 2017. His most recent flight review occurred on October 30, 2014.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a low-wing, fully cantilevered, single-engine monoplane of composite construction, with fixed tricycle landing gear and a castering nose wheel. Steering was via differential braking. It was equipped with a Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). It was powered by a 310-horsepower Continental IO-550-N27B engine driving a Hartzell three-bladed propeller. The airplane was manufactured in 2005. Its most recent annual inspection was completed on March 13, 2017, at which time it had accrued about 1,229 total hours. The cabin included a composite roll cage, doors on each side, and seats with 4-point harnesses. Avionics included an Avidyne Entegra integrated system with primary flight display and multi-function display. Flight controls were conventional, with side control yokes, electric roll and pitch trim, and a ground-adjustable yaw trim system.
Meteorological Information
Recorded weather at MMK at 1833 included wind from 180° at 5 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, few clouds at 300 ft, an overcast ceiling at 12,000 ft, temperature 16°C, dew point 2°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.15 inches of mercury.
Airport Information
MMK was owned by the City of Meriden, Connecticut, and was a non-towered, public use airport. Elevation was 103 ft mean sea level. Runway 18/36 measured 3,100 ft long by 75 ft wide, and was asphalt in good condition.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination of runway 18 revealed black tire marks in an S-shaped pattern with white paint transfer marks, consistent with nose wheel shimmy and nose wheel pant contact, located about 1,350 ft from the beginning of runway 18. The accident site examination showed the airplane first made ground contact with the left wingtip. After cartwheeling and breaching a 30-ft section of the 8-ft-tall airport security fence, it slid along a public roadway on an approximate 078° magnetic heading, coming to rest about 115 ft from the initial impact point against an earthen berm. Most of the airplane was consumed by postcrash fire. A debris path extended 115 ft long by 62 ft wide, containing the propeller, engine cowling, left wing tip, and other components.
Airplane examination revealed no evidence of any preimpact failure or malfunction of the airplane or flight controls. The fuselage was upright and mostly consumed by fire. The empennage separated and was inverted. Control cable continuity was verified for ailerons, elevator, and rudder. The flap actuator was fully extended, consistent with flaps retracted. The propeller showed no preimpact malfunction; all blades exhibited chordwise scratching and leading-edge gouging matching the fence chain links. Engine examination revealed no preimpact failure or malfunction. All cylinders produced thumb compression and suction, and valve functionality was confirmed. No pre-accident anomalies were noted with the magnetos, fuel system, or lubrication system.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Farmington, Connecticut, performed an autopsy on the pilot. The cause of death was blunt injuries of head and trunk with fractures and aortic laceration. Toxicological testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for carbon monoxide and ethanol; acetaminophen was detected in urine but is not impairing.