NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On May 10, 2010, at 1930 central daylight time (CDT), a Cirrus SR22, N424LF, registered to Dagmar Transport LLC, operating as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight, collided with the ground while maneuvering on final approach to runway 22 at Tuscaloosa Regional Airport (TCL), Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The pilot was receiving flight following services from air traffic control along his route of flight. The private pilot and one passenger were killed. The flight originated from Kendall - Tamiami Executive Airport (TMB), Miami, Florida, at 1704 eastern daylight time (EDT).

Review of transcripts between the pilot of N424LF and Birmingham Approach Control revealed the pilot contacted the controller at 1914 CDT. The pilot stated he was at 4,500 feet and that he was going to Tuscaloosa for a full-stop landing. The pilot was provided a transponder code and radar identified 12 miles south of Bibb County Airport. At 1924, Birmingham approach terminated radar services and provided the radio frequency to Tuscaloosa tower.

Review of transcripts between the pilot of N424LF and Tuscaloosa air traffic control tower revealed the pilot contacted the tower at 1925 and reported that he was 12 miles out, inbound for a full-stop landing. The controller instructed the pilot to report "your base leg to runway 22." The pilot replied, "Uh okay runway two twos going to be a straight in for us uh sir." The controller replied, "How about a three mile straight in final to runway two two." The pilot replied, "You got it three mile straight in for runway two two." At 1927, the pilot informed the controller that he had a visual on the airport, that he was too close and that he needed to make a 360-degree turn to lose altitude. The controller approved the turn and instructed the pilot to report when back on final to runway 22. At 1929, the pilot informed the controller he had completed the turn and he was on a 3-mile final to runway 22. The controller issued a clearance to land and the pilot acknowledged the clearance. There was no further communication between the pilot and the controller.

According to the controller's statement, the pilot acknowledged the clearance to land. He scanned the runway, checked that the runway lights were set to pilot control lighting, and looked for the airplane on final approach. He observed the airplane well left of course on short final, in a turn that subsequently took the airplane right of course. The airplane was about 50 feet from the end of the runway when the left wing dipped and the airplane appeared to flip-over and collide with the ground.

A witness located at the airport stated he heard the pilot say over the aircraft radio that he was going to make a 360-degree turn. The controller instructed the pilot to land on runway 22. It appeared to the witness that the pilot was coming in on runway 29. The witness heard the engine rev up. It looked as if the pilot was trying to turn back to runway 22, and the airplane entered a nose-dive straight into the ground.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The private pilot, age 40, held a private pilot certificate issued on July 17, 2003, with a rating for airplane single-engine land. The pilot's last flight review was completed on May 12, 2009. The pilot held a third-class medical certificate issued on May 15, 2009, with the limitation "must wear corrective lenses." Review of the pilot's logbook revealed he had 814.7 total hours; 542 hours were in the Cirrus, of which 338.5 were in the SR20 and 203.5 in the SR22. The pilot had logged 397.5 hours as pilot-in-command. The pilot had flown 53.2 hours in the last 90 days, and 41.4 hours in the last 30 days. Examination of the pilot's logbook revealed the accident flight was the first time he had landed at TCL.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The accident airplane was a Cirrus SR22, a four-place airplane with a fixed tricycle landing gear, serial number 1583, manufactured in 2005. A Continental IO-550N, 300-horsepower horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine powers the airplane. Review of the airplane logbooks revealed the last annual inspection was conducted on December 12, 2009, at a recorded HOBBS time of 300 hours. The HOBBS meter at the accident site indicated 358.8 hours. The airplane was topped off with 61.2 gallons of 100 low lead avgas on May 10, 2010, at 1632, before departing TMB.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The 1953 TCL surface weather observation was: wind 060 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 15 degrees Celsius, dew point temperature 11 degrees Celsius, and altimeter 30.12 inches of mercury.

FLIGHT RECORDERS

The Primary Flight Display (PFD), Multifunction Display (MFD) and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) were forwarded to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Division for further examination. No information was extracted from the EGPWS due to duplication of information contained in the PFD and MFD.

No anomalies were recorded in the MFD, except for the No. 6 cylinder head temperature which was "noisy" and contained mostly out-of-range data. This parameter was not plotted, but is contained in the tabular data of the Vehicle Recorder Factual Report. According to Cirrus, a possible explanation is loose grounding wires. Examination of other parameters, including manifold pressure and fuel flow, revealed nothing to indicate abnormal engine function.

Examination of the PFD confirmed the airplane departed Miami at 1704 EDT. The airplane reached a maximum cruising altitude of 10,000 feet. At 1805 EDT, the airplane descended to 6,500 feet, followed by a descent to 4,000 feet at 1831 EDT. Autopilot was used for the majority of the flight in NAV mode with global positioning system as the primary navigation source and altitude hold mode. Vertical Speed (VS) mode was used to control climbs and descents. Approximately 5.3 nautical miles from the airport, the airplane entered a 360-degree left turn from a heading of 320 degrees, descending from 3,800 feet to approximately 2,200 feet. During the turn, the horizontal deviation indicator exceeded 50 percent and the "AP NAV" indication began to flash. The autopilot was disconnected at 1927:40 CDT.

Coming out of the turn, the airplane was established on a heading of approximately 300 degrees. Approximately 4 seconds from the end of the recording, at 1930:53, the airplane entered a sharp left bank, going from 14.4 degrees right wing down to 47.8 degrees left wing down, while decreasing pitch from 10.2 degrees nose up to 1.2 degrees nose up.

WRECKAGE INFORMATION

The wreckage of the airplane was located in the grass, 21 feet 8 inches northeast of taxiway A and 29 feet 5 inches northeast of runway 22. The airplane collided with the ground nose down, left wing low and came to rest on a heading of 072 degrees magnetic, and there was no crash debris line.

The propeller assembly was buried in the ground forward of the main wreckage. Examination of the propeller revealed it separated aft of the crankshaft propeller flange. Spiral cracking was present on the engine crankshaft. The spinner was crushed with evidence of rotation. All propeller blades remained attached to their respective propeller hubs. One propeller blade was not damaged. Another propeller blade was bent aft 4 inches outboard of the propeller hub. Chordwise scarring was present on the face of the propeller blade. Torsional twisting was present towards the low pitch stop, and nicks were present on the leading edge of the propeller blade. The upward 2 inches of the propeller tip was curled aft. The remaining propeller blade was bent aft 3 inches outboard of the propeller hub. Chord wise scarring was present on the face of the propeller blade. Torsional twisting was present towards the low pitch stop, and nicks were present on the leading edge of the propeller blade.

The forward cabin area and cabin roof was fragmented and compressed rearward. The instrument panel was fragmented. Aileron, elevator, and rudder cable continuity was confirmed. The forward windshield was broken. The left and right cabin doors were separated. Both doors were in the locked position and the door windows were broken.

The right wing leading edge exhibited crushing and the wing tip remained attached. The right fuel tank was ruptured and the right fuel cap had a tight seal. The right aileron was damaged and remained attached to the inboard attachment point. The right flap remained attached to its attachment points and was extended 100 percent. The right main landing gear remained attached to the wing.

The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) safety pin was not installed in the handle and was located near the wreckage. The CAPS had been activated during the accident. The activation handle was found seated in the handle holder. The activation cable sheath was separated from the handle holder. The activation cable remained intact from the handle holder to the firing pin actuator. Recovery crews cut the activation cable and sheath aft of the baggage door. The activation cable sheath exhibited damage about 31 inches aft of the handle holder. The activation cable sheath was separated from the handle holder. The rocket was located aft of the wreckage on the ground near the left elevator. The rocket propellant was expended.The parachute remained in a packed state.

The aft fuselage and empennage was fractured from the aft shear web attachment fittings. The baggage compartment door separated from the fuselage at its hinge line. The vertical stabilizer remained intact. The rudder remained attached to all attach points and the rudder's lower close out fairing was damaged. The rudder balance weight was intact. The horizontal stabilizer remained attached to the fuselage. The left and right elevators remained attached to the horizontal stabilizers.

The left wing remained attached to the fuselage attachment bolts. The left wing tip was separated. The left leading edge exhibited crushing. The left outboard 5 feet of the wing was pushed aft and upward. The left fuel tank was ruptured and the left fuel cap had a tight seal. The aileron was separated from its attachment points and was damaged. The left flap remained attached to its attachment points and was extended 100 percent. The left main landing gear remained attached to the wing. Browning of vegetation was present forward of the wing.

Examination of the engine assembly and accessories revealed all accessories remained attached to the engine. Both magnetos were removed and produced spark at all ignition towers when rotated by hand. All fuel nozzles were removed, examined, and unobstructed. The No. 1 and No. 3 fuel nozzle s were broken. The engine driven fuel pump remained attached to the engine and was damaged. Fuel was present in the engine driven fuel pump. The engine driven fuel pump was rotated with a drill and functioned. The inlet fuel hose remained attached to the engine driven fuel pump. The outlet fuel hose was fractured.

Fuel was present between the engine driven fuel pump and the throttle body fuel control unit. The Fuel manifold valve was disassembled and, the diaphragm remained intact. Fuel was present in the fuel manifold and the fuel screen was clear. The oil filter was removed examined and free of contaminants. The engine was rotated by hand with a tool inserted in the accessory drive. Compression and suction were obtained on all cylinders. The rocker arms and valves moved when the crankshaft was rotated. Continuity of the crankshaft was confirmed to the rear accessory gears and to the valve train. The interiors of all cylinders were examined using a lighted bore scope and no anomalies were noted.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Alabama Department of Forensic Science conducted an external examination on the pilot, due to religious reasons, on May 11, 2010. The cause of death was noted as blunt force trauma. The Forensic Toxicology Research Section, FAA, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma performed postmortem toxicology of specimens from the pilot. The specimens were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, basic, acidic, and neutral drugs.

The Alabama Department of Forensic Science conducted an external examination on the passenger, due to religious reasons, on May 11, 2010. The cause of death was blunt force trauma. The Forensic Toxicology Research Section, FAA, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma performed postmortem toxicology of specimens from the passenger. The specimens were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, basic, acidic, and neutral drugs.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Review of the Cirrus Design SR22 Pilot's Operating Handbook states at a gross weight of 3,400 pounds, with the most forward center of gravity, the airplane will stall at an indicated airspeed of 62 knots, or 60 knots calibrated airspeed with a 0-degrees angle of bank and flaps at 100 percent. The airplane will stall at an indicated airspeed of 72 knots or 71 knots calibrated airspeed, in a 45-degree angle of bank, with 100 percent flaps. The airplane last recorded bank angle was 47.8 degrees left wing down at 1930:57 and the airspeed was 62.7 knots indicates airspeed at 1930:56..The bank at that time was 33.8 degrees left wing down.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering to land, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and collision with the ground.