we found a 2004 Cirrus SR20 G2 with 1830 hours and are flying down to take a look at it. I’m currently a student pilot just starting out but this is mainly for my father who has been flying in clubs forever and we’re looking for our first purchase. We’re used to a Piper PA32 Cherokee 6 so this will be a huge difference for us with the weight limitations and everything.
Logs show it was in cirrus training center at CO and a student pilot ran it off the runway and hit a fence at landing at 1790 hours. It was then fully repaired and now were looking to purchase with 1830 hours. The tech are going to do the annual (due march) and the chute repacking needed this year and we understand the 2000 hour overhaul coming up. http://avclaims.com/N777XG%20Photos.htm pics of before the accident.
Is there anything we should be aware of prior to purchasing an Cirrus or a repaired plane in general? does repairs affect insurance rates or cause any other issues we need to look out for? We’re heading down Saturday to take a look and need to schedule inspections and everything.
Top level, make sure the repairs were approved by Cirrus Engineering. A DAR could approve it but then the repairs might be more questionable than if done under Cirrus Engineering. You say it will need an overhauling in a couple hundred hours, you mean at engine teardown they didn’t replace bearings and other misc stuff to essentially OH the bottom end? That would be cheaper and foolish at those hours. Some answers to those questions would lead me to be comfortable or uncomfortable that the work was done well.
Insurance should not be a concern. But buy it at a discount, because whenever you sell it you will be discounting it due to the damage history. Get a knowledgeable Cirrus mechanic to look over the airframe as well as the repair 337.
I would say that the most critical point is that the shockloading inspection was done the right way and that the engine is okay. And of course the price has to be right!
IMO the magnitude of the discount you receive for the damage history should be inversely proportional to your certainty that you will own the aircraft a long time.
Thank you, it all shows 1830TT and 1830SMOH so it looks like they didn’t a complete overhaul which makes us wonder what all was done with the engine, other than annual. We just want to get together a checklist of stuff we need to lookout for and need to schedule so we can make this deal as smooth as possible and don’t feel ripped off or remorse.
Legally one option was to remove and disassemble the engine for an inspection. They are under no requirement to replace anything other than problems they find. There are things that take a hit inside with sudden engine stoppage (like that one clearly had happen). They can then reassemble and it is still a 1830 SMOH, but it was inspected. Verify it did have a prop strike inspection at a minimum. If it didn’t no telling what else they didn’t do and then run as fast as you can. If repairs are done properly I don’t worry about buying something with damage history - just as long as I get the discount that is appropriate due to its reduced market value.
My case developed a crack - and - I recently had to replace the the engine.
This is not like many of your other engine types on the street - where you can call someone - and pick up a rebuilt…
a NEW (core swap required) engine can be purchased from Continental directly - as a re manufactured zero time engine, however, the price is around $30K plus installation…
I looked at this Cirrus and decided against it. Sellers are very nice people but I was concerned about the quality of the repairs. Look at the wing-fuselage join, the course texture paint job (overspray, especially on the underside?), the underside of the horizontal stabilizer, etc., etc. If you proceed, please take it to a Cirrus Service Center that doesn’t know the sellers, etc. for a good 3rd opinion. There are alot of unknowns with this bird. If I was an A&P, I might approach it differently.
I looked at purchasing this plane a few years ago to repair it. To do things properly with engineering by Cirrus was going to be cost prohibitive. I believe the repairs that were done did not have any approval by Cirrus engineering. The aft spar cracked the fuselage underneath the back seats and needed to have a good repair done. I lost interest after realizing the cost involved. I think they had to cut corners on the repair. I would stay away from this one. Or at least proceed with caution. This brings back fun memories of looking for my first SR20…somewhere I have pictures of the aircaft sitting against a fence from the accident, as well as before the repair.
It sounds like there were composite repairs involved, so with only 40 hours since the accident I’d be passing. If the repairs were done well it should be fine but if not problems can appear over the course of several hundred hours.
I wouldn’t worry about prop strikes or any other damage to a swappable item. When you start talking about fiberglass structural work, I get squeamish. As others have said, too many other good birds out there.
A big decision - don’t make it alone! There’s a lot of expertise you can harness. If you want the plane, hire Savvy and believe what they advise. Or call a busy Cirrus broker, like Jaime Steele. There are really no bargains in damaged airplanes, though some are probably OK. The reason there are no bargains is that the airplane will carry that scarlet letter forever. I think it’s an area where experts may tread safely, but the typical buyer simply cannot know enough to be wise.
But by all means buy a Cirrus! Even if you stretch your budget you will be generously rewarded.
When the collective experience here suggests a “pass” so unanimously, you should probably heed that counsel! Many clean birds out there to buy. Peace of mind and 100% confidence in your airplane are worth a lot! Good luck with your search.
We think we’re going to pass on this and as much as we’d love the SR20s we really want a 6 seater like the piper Saratoga or bonanza a36, as we’ll be flying 60% 2 adults 1 child, and 40% 4 adults 1 child. thanks all for your help we already had the trip planned for this weekend to check it out but might fly elsewhere to look at others.