What happened
On May 31, 2010, a Cirrus SR22 was operating a charter flight from Katowice, Poland, to Bielefeld, Germany, under instrument flight rules (IFR). The flight plan intended for the aircraft to transition to visual flight rules (VFR) near the DENOL waypoint at flight level 1000. During the flight, the pilot transitioned to VFR at 4,200 ft AMSL, approximately six nautical miles east of Bielefeld.
As the aircraft approached Bielefeld, the pilot requested landing for runway 29. The autopilot was used to manage a descent, but was disengaged once the aircraft reached approximately 1,700 ft AMSL. Shortly after, the aircraft began a left turn. Flight data indicates that within 20 seconds, the bank angle increased to approximately 40 degrees, while the indicated airspeed fluctuated between 105 and 115 knots.
As the aircraft continued its maneuver, the airspeed dropped significantly, falling from 105 knots to approximately 77 knots within 10 seconds. At 10:31:57, the aircraft was in a steep left bank of approximately 55 degrees with a 15-degree nose-down pitch. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft struck a wooded area with a high pitch attitude, resulting in four fatalities (the pilot and three passengers) and the destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
The BFU examined wreckage, flight data from the integrated Avidyne Entegra EXP5000 avionics, and meteorological records. The investigation included an analysis of the aircraft's weight and balance, as well as the pilot's flight experience and the weather conditions at the time of the accident. Data from the primary and multi-function displays, as well as GPS records, were analyzed by the NTSB laboratory in the United States to reconstruct the flight path.
Findings
- The chosen approach profile resulted in the aircraft remaining below the cloud base until it was very close to the airfield.
- The pilot executed a turn with a high bank angle that caused the aircraft to drop below its stall speed.
- The aircraft was overloaded at the time of the accident; the takeoff mass was approximately 62 kg (3.9%) above the maximum allowable limit.
- The pilot did not opt to divert to the Paderborn-Lippstadt airport, which would have allowed for an instrument approach.
- Low cloud ceilings contributed to the lack of visual references during the transition to VFR.