History of Flight
On September 1, 2022, about 1707 central daylight time, a Cirrus Aircraft SR22 airplane, N420SS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Tomball, Texas. The flight instructor was fatally injured; the pilot and passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.
Earlier that week, on August 29, 2022, the pilot accepted delivery of his factory-new Cirrus SR22 airplane at the Cirrus Aircraft Vision Center at McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), near Knoxville, Tennessee. He had no previous flying experience in a Cirrus airplane besides a 30-minute demonstration flight about 1.5 years prior. As part of his purchase agreement, the pilot was scheduled to receive transition training.
Training Background
The pilot's first interaction with his assigned Cirrus Aircraft Factory Flight Instructor was the night before delivery. During a phone call, the flight instructor asked what the pilot wanted to accomplish, and the pilot replied that he needed to learn instrument approaches and takeoffs and landings. The pilot's first flight in the airplane was a 10–15 minute delivery flight with another Cirrus pilot, with no instruction provided. The assigned instructor then began transition training, reviewing the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) on a simulator, fuel and electrical systems on a whiteboard, and the Cirrus Perspective+ avionics on a tabletop simulator.
On August 30, 2022, the pilot and instructor began flight training. Due to engine power restrictions (maintain at least 75% power for a new airplane), they could not conduct traffic pattern work. The pilot felt they “couldn’t really learn anything” and focused on the avionics. The next day, windy weather led them to fly to an uncontrolled airport for pattern work, where the instructor first provided reference airspeeds.
Cross-Country Flight and Approach
On September 1, the pilot felt unwell and the decision was made to fly to his home base at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (DWH), Spring, Texas. The flight leg from TYS diverted to Monroe Regional Airport (MLU) due to weather. The pilot stated the instructor appeared to briefly fall asleep during that leg. After refueling at MLU, they departed for DWH. The airplane's automatic flight control system (AFCS) was engaged for most of the flight. As they approached DWH, the controller cleared them for the visual approach to runway 17R.
The pilot stated he saw the runway and PAPI lights, but airspeed decreased. The instructor told him to add throttle. The pilot increased throttle slightly but did not hear the engine “roar.” The instructor said “My airplane” or “I’ve got the controls” shortly after. The airplane descended below the proper glidepath. The instructor rolled the airplane left-wing-down, likely trying to maneuver left. The airplane impacted trees and came to rest in a wooded mobile home neighborhood.
Wreckage Examination
The accident site was about 0.76 nm north of the runway 17R displaced threshold. The initial impact was with 60–75-foot-tall pine trees. The CAPS was deployed. The right wing separated at the root. Fuel selector was positioned to the left tank, but no measurable fuel remained in either tank; however, recorded data indicated ample fuel upon impact. The power and mixture controls were in the full forward position. The flap selector was UP, and the jack screw was fully extended (flaps retracted). The starter/ignition switch was positioned to the left magneto. No evidence of preimpact fuel system restrictions was found.
Recorded data showed a loss of fuel flow beginning at 1705:58, about 988 ft agl and 2.26 nm from the threshold. About 16 seconds later, the AFCS was turned off. The throttle was decreased once and increased twice. At 1706:50, flaps were retracted from 50% to 0%. About 6 seconds later, the stall warning activated. At 1707:00, the airplane had descended to 76 ft agl at 74 KIAS, the wings-level stall speed at maximum gross weight.