What happened
On March 24, 2025, a Cirrus Design Corporation SF50, registration N56GY, was involved in an accident at Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM) in Orlando, Florida. The aircraft was operating as a Part 91 corporate flight.
During the initial climb, the pilot observed a "FADEC NO DISPATCH" caution message at flight level 198. After completing the associated checklist, the message persisted. Shortly after, while climbing at flight level 234, a red "FADEC CTRL DEGRADED" warning illuminated. The pilot attempted a FADEC reset via the multi-function display, but noted that engine power might not be reliable. During the subsequent descent, the pilot found that the engine did not respond to thrust lever changes. Specifically, the pilot observed the thrust remaining at approximately 30% despite attempts to slow the aircraft, and later, moving the lever to flight idle caused thrust to drop to 1%, which then failed to respond to further advancement.
The pilot requested a return to ISM and eventually declared an emergency. While on the base leg for runway 6, the pilot extended the flaps to 50% and later to 100% while lowering the landing gear. The aircraft touched down at a high speed approximately two-thirds down the 5,001-foot runway. The pilot was unable to stop the aircraft using normal braking, causing the plane to roll off the end of the runway into a grass area and collide with an airport boundary fence. The pilot was not injured.
The investigation
Maintenance records indicated that on March 18, 2025, the aircraft had displayed the same "FADEC No Dispatch" and "FADEC CTRL Degraded" messages. As part of a Service Bulletin, the fuel control unit (FCU) had been replaced with a modified unit on March 20, 2025. The accident flight was the first flight performed since the installation of the new FCU. Following the accident, the engine was removed for further examination and testing at the manufacturer's facility.