Accident Sequence
On May 20, 2020, about 1043 Pacific daylight time, a Cirrus SR20 airplane, N883PJ, was destroyed when it crashed near Santa Maria, California. The student pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operating as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The student pilot was making a solo cross-country flight from Van Nuys, California, to Santa Maria. Air traffic control personnel reported that the pilot contacted the local controller requesting a full stop landing. The pilot was instructed to proceed straight in for runway 30. The airplane touched down on the runway surface, and the pilot initiated a go-around. The controller instructed the pilot to enter left traffic for the runway, and the pilot acknowledged. The controller also informed the pilot of nearby traffic and instructed him to follow that traffic and land behind it. The pilot reported that the traffic was in sight, and the controller cleared the pilot to land. There was no further radio communication.
Radar and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast data showed that the airplane approached the airport from the southeast, made a straight-in approach to runway 30, touched down, and then took off. It climbed and entered a left traffic pattern. About two-thirds of the way along an extended downwind leg, it leveled off temporarily at about 1,700 ft mean sea level (about 1,440 ft above ground). Shortly thereafter, the airplane started a left turn and began a gradual descent. The rate of descent increased as it made a continuous, steepening left turn through the base leg. It crossed the final leg in a steep left turn at a descent rate of about 2,000 ft per minute and then made an abrupt right turn. The airplane descended rapidly until the track ended in the general vicinity of the accident site.
Several witnesses reported unusual maneuvers. One witness saw the airplane lower than normal, “wobbling,” with engine power increasing temporarily then decreasing, followed by another wobble before it disappeared from sight. Another witness observed the airplane with wings perpendicular to the ground; it straightened, wobbled, and descended out of view. A third witness heard a loud hissing sound like a large bottle rocket, looked up, and saw the airplane violently veer left in a corkscrew motion. Others reported hearing a loud noise and seeing the airplane in a steep dive with a parachute trailing behind.
Pilot Experience
The pilot’s flight instructor stated that the student pilot began flight training in September 2019. At the time of the accident, he had about 50 hours of flight experience, most of which were in the accident airplane. His first solo occurred on March 19, 2020. The instructor and student conducted two cross-country flights to Santa Maria, and the student flew there solo on May 14, 2020. The accident flight was along the same route and was the student’s third solo flight. The instructor characterized the student as an above average student.
Wreckage and Impact
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane came to rest in a school playground about 2 nautical miles southeast of the threshold of runway 30. The airplane impacted in a nose-low attitude and came to rest inverted; a postimpact fire ensued. The parachute rocket and deployment bag were found about 58 yards southwest of the main wreckage, with the parachute straps extended and the parachute about 21 yards northeast of the wreckage.
The forward fuselage, cabin, wings, and forward portion of the aft fuselage exhibited extensive crush and thermal damage. The aft fuselage and empennage showed thermal and impact damage. The engine and firewall were fracture-separated from the airframe and extensively thermally damaged. The propeller hub was separated from the crankshaft and rested near the right side of the fuselage. All three metal propeller blades remained attached to the hub; one blade was relatively straight, one bent aft about midspan, and one bent aft with the outboard portion twisted.
Flight control cables were fragmented, but continuity was established from the elevator and rudder surfaces to the aft fuselage turnbuckles. The console aileron actuation pulley was present with a section of aileron cable; other cable fragments and pulleys were visually examined except for the left cross-over pulley. Cabin control yokes and rudder pedal assemblies were fracture-separated and loose within the wreckage. A portion of firewall was crushed into the aft engine. The induction system, fuel control unit, fuel manifold, and fuel injection lines were crushed forward. The forward crankcase, crankshaft, camshaft, and No. 6 cylinder assembly were fracture-separated. Upper spark plugs from all cylinders showed normal signatures; borescope examination revealed organic debris and rust/corrosion consistent with firefighting efforts. Piston heads, cylinder walls, valve heads, and lower spark plugs appeared normal. Both magnetos were fracture-separated; ignition harness was thermally damaged. The throttle arm on the fuel control unit was secured and manipulable. The engine-driven fuel pump was fracture-separated. The mixture arm was secured but bent from impact and could not be manipulated. Postaccident examination revealed no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operations.
Medical and Toxicological Findings
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner performed an autopsy and listed the cause of death as multiple traumatic injuries. The FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory performed toxicology on pilot specimens with positive results for ethanol in the blood and brain, and chlorpheniramine in the blood and liver. Ethanol is a central nervous system depressant that impairs judgment, psychomotor functioning, and vigilance; it can be produced after death by microbial activity. Chlorpheniramine is an over-the-counter antihistamine used for allergy and cold symptoms; its packaging warns of drowsiness and caution when operating machinery. The FAA provides guidance on wait times before flying after using this medication.