Accident Overview
On May 12, 2021, at 1023 mountain daylight time, a Cirrus SR22 (N416DJ) and a Swearingen SA226TC (N280KL) collided in flight while approaching Centennial Airport (APA) in Englewood, Colorado. Both aircraft sustained substantial damage. The pilot and passenger onboard the Cirrus were not injured, and the pilot onboard the Swearingen was not injured. The Cirrus was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight, while the Swearingen was on a Part 91 positioning flight.
Flight Paths and Collision
At the time of the accident, parallel runways 17R and 17L were in use for simultaneous operations. According to ADS-B and onboard Remote Data Module (RDM) data, the Cirrus departed APA at about 0921 for a local flight. The Swearingen departed Salida Airport (ANK) at about 0956. At approximately 1022:43, the Swearingen was about 5.5 nautical miles from APA, having completed a right turn to align with the final approach course for runway 17L. Simultaneously, the Cirrus was on the downwind leg of a right-hand traffic pattern for runway 17R, just before beginning a right turn to base leg.
The Swearingen continued its approach, remaining aligned with runway 17L. The Cirrus continued its traffic pattern through base leg and began turning toward final for runway 17R. The Cirrus then continued through the extended centerline of runway 17R and into the extended centerline of runway 17L, where it collided with the Swearingen. The collision occurred at 1023:52, about 3.2 nautical miles from APA. At impact, the Swearingen was aligned with runway 17L, and the Cirrus, which had not completed its turn from base to final, was heading approximately 146°.
Post-Impact Actions
After the collision, the Swearingen's pilot declared an emergency, continued to APA, and landed successfully on runway 17L. The Cirrus pilot reported the airplane was uncontrollable and deployed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The Cirrus came to rest about 3 nautical miles north of APA.
Flight Data Details
RDM data from the Cirrus showed the autopilot disengaged at 1018:50 and remained off for the remainder of the flight. At 1023:16, the avionics system issued a traffic alert that persisted until impact. During the downwind leg, airspeed was about 125 knots with flaps up. On the base leg, airspeed was about 148 knots with flaps still up. During the transition from base to final, airspeed was about 140 knots, and flaps were lowered to 50% about 4 seconds before impact. At collision, the airplane was approximately halfway through its turn, at 140 knots and 6,619 feet msl. The CAPS handle was pulled at 1023:54.
According to the Cirrus Pilot's Operating Handbook, recommended approach speeds were 90-95 knots with flaps up, 85-90 knots with 50% flaps, and 80-85 knots with 100% flaps.
Air Traffic Control Communications
Review of communications showed that the local control 1 (LC1) controller had cleared the Swearingen for a straight-in landing to runway 17L, and the local control 2 (LC2) controller cleared the Cirrus to land on runway 17R. The two controllers communicated on different frequencies. While the LC2 controller issued traffic advisories to the Cirrus pilot, the LC1 controller did not issue a traffic advisory to the Swearingen pilot regarding the Cirrus's location.
FAA Order JO 7110.65Y outlines procedures for traffic alerts and parallel runway operations, including requirements for visual meteorological conditions and two-way radio communication.