What happened
On July 18, 2019, at approximately 15:12 UTC, a Cirrus SR22 G3, registration A-6105, crashed into the terrain in the Wetterstein Mountains near Leutasch, Tyrol. The aircraft was performing a private VFR flight from Brescia-Montichiari, Italy, to Schwäbisch Hall, Germany.
Earlier that day, the pilot had flown the aircraft from Stuttgart to Schwäbisch Hall before the return leg began. During the return flight, the pilot chose a route through various Alpine valleys, including the Gardasee, Bozen, and Brenner, flying at altitudes between 2,300 ft and 5,500 ft. While the flight initially followed planned navigation points, the pilot deviated from the communicated route near the Austrian-Italian border, heading toward the Leutasch Valley instead of the intended waypoint.
At approximately 15:10 UTC, the pilot deactivated the autopilot and initiated a climb. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft's airspeed began to decrease. At 15:12 UTC, the pilot entered a left turn, which was followed by a stall warning recorded by the flight data recorder. The aircraft was in a nose-up attitude with a bank angle of 42 degrees when the stall occurred. The aircraft subsequently collided with the ground at an elevation of approximately 2,288 meters. The impact was followed by a fire that almost entirely destroyed the wreckage. There were 3 fatalities.
The investigation
The Austrian Federal Safety Investigation Board (SUB) reconstructed the flight sequence using air traffic control reports, pilot statements, and flight data recorder information. The investigation examined the aircraft's maintenance history, weight and balance, engine performance, and the pilot's flight path. The investigators also analyzed meteorological data from surrounding stations, including Innsbruck and Seefeld, to understand the environmental conditions at the time of the accident.