History of Flight
The flight originated from Peter O Knight Airport in Tampa, Florida, around 2046 eastern daylight time on August 28, 2020, with a landing at Sullivan County Airport (SIV) in Sullivan, Indiana, at about 0126 EDT on August 29. After refueling, the pilot departed SIV at 0211 EDT under an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan bound for Lawrenceville-Vincennes International Airport (LWV), approximately 22 nautical miles south. The airplane established communication with air traffic control (ATC) and was instructed to maintain 2,600 ft direct to the JEBDU waypoint, the initial approach fix. The controller confirmed the pilot had weather and NOTAMs for LWV and cleared the approach. The airplane crossed JEBDU around 0118, continued southwest, then turned left toward the final approach course. Radar service was terminated near JEBDU, and the pilot was instructed to cancel the IFR flight plan. No further communications were received. From 0118 to 0121, the airplane descended and slowed as it approached LWV, passing west of the final approach course. At LUKMY, the final approach fix, the airplane was at 2,200 ft and west of the fix. Over the next two minutes, it descended from 2,200 ft to 600 ft at an average rate of 800 ft per minute and average ground speed of 116 knots. The final recorded altitude was 600 ft. Multiple ATC attempts to contact the pilot were unsuccessful. Due to fog conditions, air search efforts were delayed until weather improved, and the airplane was located about 0730.
Personnel Information
The pilot and another individual purchased the airplane on July 16, 2020. Through the Cirrus Embark training program, the pilot completed 4.5 hours of ground school and 12.2 flight hours in the accident airplane, with instruction from a Cirrus standardized instructor pilot, conducted on July 22, 23, and August 13, 14. According to the pilot's logbook, last entry dated August 27, the pilot had accumulated 45.6 total flight hours in the accident airplane, including 9.1 hours of night flight time, 1.8 hours in actual instrument conditions, and 7 instrument approaches. The pilot's most recent instrument proficiency check was satisfactorily completed on April 5, 2020, in a Beech BE-36 airplane. The day prior to the accident, the airplane's GPS/NAV/COM system was replaced with a new system, and the accident approach was the pilot's second instrument approach with the new system.
Aircraft Information
The Cirrus SR22, registration N607SR, was equipped with an Avidyne DFC90 Digital Autopilot system. On August 28, 2020, an avionics company removed the Garmin GNS430W GPS/NAV/COM system and replaced it with an Avidyne IFD440 GPS/NAV/COM system.
Meteorological Information
At 0041 central daylight time, Lawrenceville-Vincennes International Airport reported marginal visual flight rules conditions: visibility 6 miles, mist, scattered clouds at 300 ft, and an overcast ceiling at 1,200 ft. At 0050, the pilot obtained a flight plan and weather briefing from ForeFlight. At 0108, the airport reported instrument flight rules conditions: visibility 1½ miles, mist, broken clouds at 200 ft and 1,100 ft. At the time of the accident, AIRMET Sierra was current for IFR conditions over the accident site.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted trees and terrain about 1.5 miles north of the SIV runway 18 threshold. An FAA inspector observed multiple tree impacts north of the main wreckage. Several sections of wing skin and wing spar debris were located between the tree impacts and the main wreckage, with a debris path measuring about 250 ft in length on a magnetic heading of 175°. The main wreckage came to rest in wooded terrain, and a post-impact fire consumed most of the fuselage, empennage, and fragmented wing sections. No evidence of an in-flight Cirrus Airframe Parachute System deployment was found. A separated section of flight control cables was tangled in trees near the initial impact. On October 20, 2020, the airplane was examined by an NTSB investigator and a Cirrus technical representative. The primary and multifunction displays were identified but no nonvolatile memory was available due to thermal and impact damage. Flight control continuity was not confirmed due to separations and thermal damage. Postaccident examination of the airframe, engine, and propeller revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed for the Lawrence County Coroner's Office determined the cause of death as impact trauma with fire due to an airplane crash, and the manner as accident. The medical examiner detected soot in the pilot's airways. No significant natural disease was identified. Toxicological testing at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected carboxyhemoglobin in the pilot's blood at 11%; no ethanol was detected, and no tested-for drugs were found in urine. Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of combustion; carboxyhemoglobin forms when CO binds to hemoglobin, impairing oxygen transport. Levels above 10% are considered poisoning, but heavy smokers can have levels up to 15%; severe poisoning is usually above 20%.