History of Flight
On September 4, 2020, about 2055 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR22 airplane, N733CD, was destroyed when it collided with terrain near Chester, Arkansas. The private pilot and three passengers sustained fatal injuries. The flight was operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Earlier that day, after completing his job, the pilot planned to fly with three passengers to visit a family member. At about 1900, he called his flight instructor/airplane mechanic and indicated his intention to fly to North Carolina. The mechanic advised him to depart in the morning. Fueling records showed the airplane received 36.41 gallons of 100 low lead aviation gasoline at about 1949.
Radar and air traffic control data indicated the airplane departed Muskogee-Davis Regional Airport (MKO) near Muskogee, Oklahoma, around 2027 and proceeded east. At about 2049, while climbing through 8,500 ft mean sea level, the pilot contacted ATC and requested visual flight rules flight-following to the destination. The controller suggested a 20° right turn to avoid moderate to heavy precipitation ahead. Shortly thereafter, the airplane turned into the precipitation area. When asked about the course change, the pilot reported he was returning to the departure airport. The airplane then turned northwest. The controller advised the pilot that the heading appeared to be 340°, and the pilot replied that “the wind caught me” and he was correcting. The airplane then turned northeast and began descending. The controller instructed a left turn to 270°, which the pilot acknowledged, but the airplane continued descending and turning right. The controller advised the pilot to level the wings and fly southbound. Radar contact was lost about 2055. An alert notice was issued, and the wreckage was found the following day in wooded terrain.
Pilot Information
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector recovered the pilot's logbook and summarized his flight experience based on the last entry on August 2, 2020. The recorded entries showed the pilot did not meet recency of experience requirements to carry passengers at night.
According to the pilot's primary flight instructor, the airplane's autopilot initially malfunctioned but was repaired and functioned properly during two post-maintenance flights. The pilot demonstrated basic autopilot knowledge. He received training in turbulent conditions and responded calmly. He also received simulated instrument training and was described as proficient. The pilot used ForeFlight with a Stratus receiver.
The pilot completed Cirrus Embark training on January 13, 2020, a safety program for pilots new to Cirrus SR operations. He had about 100–120 hours total time at application. Training included VFR transition to the SR22 but not night or instrument meteorological conditions; no extensive training on exiting inadvertent instrument conditions was conducted. Autopilot instruction covered headings and altitudes, but instructors described the ARNAV Systems display as “old technology” and the Sandel electronic horizontal situation indicator as “not easy to use.”
Aircraft Information
The airplane was sold to the accident pilot on January 4, 2020. An annual inspection was completed on June 2, 2020, at 2,053.8 total hours. The airplane was equipped with dual Garmin 430s/Terrain Awareness and Warning System, Sandel 3308 EHSI, ARNAV ICDS 2000, WX-500 Stormscope, S-Tec 55X Autopilot with GPSS and glideslope tracking, and digital altitude preselect. It was fitted with a Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS).
Meteorological Information
The 1900 surface analysis depicted a developing stationary front extending from Kansas through northeast Oklahoma into Arkansas, near the accident site. A col was identified between two high pressure systems. The 1500 convective outlook expected air mass thunderstorms. Drake Field and Fort Smith Regional Airport reported visual meteorological conditions around the accident time; Fort Smith reported distant lightning north one hour before the accident.
High-resolution rapid refresh sounding at 2100 indicated an equilibrium level at 42,500 ft, unstable conditions with moderate thunderstorm risk, maximum updraft velocity 109 kts, and potential outflow gust 31 kts. Satellite data showed cumulonimbus clouds near the accident site with tops near 38,000 ft. The 2056 Geostationary Lightning Mapper depicted significant lightning flashes near the accident site.
Weather radar showed light echoes (15–20 dBZ) along the flight path, then echoes above 20 dBZ as the airplane reversed course. It turned north-northwest in 20–30 dBZ echoes before descending right turn. The accident site was at the edge of a larger cluster with maximum reflectivity near 58 dBZ. Lower elevation scans showed very light echoes below 7,000 ft. Lightning data showed 19 flashes within 10 miles of the accident site, the closest 2 miles northeast.
A pilot flying an emergency medical flight nearby reported intense lightning and estimated cloud tops near 40,000 ft. A Convective SIGMET was issued at 1955 for thunderstorms with tops to 42,000 ft. Sunset was at 1939; the moon had not risen. The pilot requested a standard weather briefing via ForeFlight at 0026 on September 4, 2020, for a route from MKO to LQK at 7,500 ft, with departure at 1730 and arrival at 2238 EDT. No other weather imagery or updates were requested.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted wooded terrain about 22 miles north of Fort Smith. Upper tree canopy exhibited fuel blighting. The wreckage path descended about 30° through woods on a heading of about 220°. Small ground fire charring was present. The propeller separated; one blade separated outboard of the hub; the other two had leading edge nicks and gouges. The CAPS parachute was strewn in the debris field; the rocket was found 200 ft north. Cockpit instrumentation was fragmented. Flight control continuity could not be confirmed; cable separations showed overload signatures. The pitch trim motor was between neutral and nose-up. All CAPS components exhibited impact and thermal damage; the parachute was extracted from the D-Bag, and the incremental bridle remained zipped. The engine crankcase fractured; spark plugs showed normal combustion. The three-bladed propeller separated; spinner pieces had spiral crushing; blades had chordwise scratches and gouges; two blades had S-bending. No preimpact anomalies were found.
Medical and Pathological Information
The State Crime Laboratory determined the cause of death as multiple traumatic injuries. Toxicology testing on pilot muscle tissue was positive for ethanol at 0.023 gm/hg. No other drugs were detected. Ethanol can be produced postmortem by microbial activity.