SR20 Crash, FAA Prelim is in

Guest Discussion
1

NTSB Identification: LAX01FA145

Accident occurred Tuesday, April 10, 2001 at Sierra Vista, AZ

Aircraft:Cirrus Design Corp. SR20, registration: N116CD

Injuries: 3 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On April 10, 2001, about 1850 hours mountain standard time, a Cirrus SR20, N116CD, collided with mountainous terrain and burned northwest of Sierra Vista, Arizona. The airplane was destroyed and the certificated private pilot and his two passengers received fatal injuries. The airplane was being operated as a personal flight by the pilot/owner under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight originated from the Tucson International Airport about 1830, with Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the intended destination. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site and no flight plan had been filed.

Concerned family members reported the aircraft overdue when it failed to arrive as scheduled. Civil Air Patrol initiated a search and personnel located the accident site on April 14, 2001. The burned wreckage was located near the crest on the side of a ridgeline at 5,200 feet msl. The wreckage distribution was localized within about a 50-foot radius of a single ground disturbance scar on the 30-degree slope of the mountain.

According to witnesses in the vicinity of the accident site, the weather conditions consisted of low clouds obscuring the higher terrain, gusting winds, and freezing precipitation.

The airplane was equipped with a ballistic recovery parachute system. Upon reaching the site, investigators found that the parachute had not deployed. The rocket launching mechanism was expended and the triggering mechanism exhibited impact damage.

2

Since English is a foreign language to me, what does the last sentence mean? It looks like the pilot deployed the launching mechanism, or am I misinterpreting the word expend.

I sure hope the latter is the case.

Placido

NTSB Identification: LAX01FA145

Accident occurred Tuesday, April 10, 2001 at Sierra Vista, AZ

Aircraft:Cirrus Design Corp. SR20, registration: N116CD

Injuries: 3 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On April 10, 2001, about 1850 hours mountain standard time, a Cirrus SR20, N116CD, collided with mountainous terrain and burned northwest of Sierra Vista, Arizona. The airplane was destroyed and the certificated private pilot and his two passengers received fatal injuries. The airplane was being operated as a personal flight by the pilot/owner under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight originated from the Tucson International Airport about 1830, with Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the intended destination. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site and no flight plan had been filed.

Concerned family members reported the aircraft overdue when it failed to arrive as scheduled. Civil Air Patrol initiated a search and personnel located the accident site on April 14, 2001. The burned wreckage was located near the crest on the side of a ridgeline at 5,200 feet msl. The wreckage distribution was localized within about a 50-foot radius of a single ground disturbance scar on the 30-degree slope of the mountain.

According to witnesses in the vicinity of the accident site, the weather conditions consisted of low clouds obscuring the higher terrain, gusting winds, and freezing precipitation.

The airplane was equipped with a ballistic recovery parachute system. Upon reaching the site, investigators found that the parachute had not deployed. The rocket launching mechanism was expended and the triggering mechanism exhibited impact damage.

3

I’m curious as to how they know when the crash occurred, specifically only 20 minutes after departure from TUS. If it was based on a radar track, then they would also have known where, but it took quite a while to find it. Same if there were witnesses. What then, a stopped clock?

Earlier discussion suggested they had gone to ABQ and then presumably returned, but obviously not in 20 minutes. That discussion also said they were found on the East side of the mountain, suggesting they were returning to Tuscon. Regardless, seems odd, why would they be so far South, if route was to ABQ … and all that in 20 minutes?

4

Since English is a foreign language to me, what does the last sentence mean? It looks like the pilot deployed the launching mechanism, or am I misinterpreting the word expend.

I sure hope the latter is the case.

Placido

NTSB Identification: LAX01FA145

Accident occurred Tuesday, April 10, 2001 at Sierra Vista, AZ

Aircraft:Cirrus Design Corp. SR20, registration: N116CD

Injuries: 3 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On April 10, 2001, about 1850 hours mountain standard time, a Cirrus SR20, N116CD, collided with mountainous terrain and burned northwest of Sierra Vista, Arizona. The airplane was destroyed and the certificated private pilot and his two passengers received fatal injuries. The airplane was being operated as a personal flight by the pilot/owner under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight originated from the Tucson International Airport about 1830, with Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the intended destination. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site and no flight plan had been filed.

Concerned family members reported the aircraft overdue when it failed to arrive as scheduled. Civil Air Patrol initiated a search and personnel located the accident site on April 14, 2001. The burned wreckage was located near the crest on the side of a ridgeline at 5,200 feet msl. The wreckage distribution was localized within about a 50-foot radius of a single ground disturbance scar on the 30-degree slope of the mountain.

According to witnesses in the vicinity of the accident site, the weather conditions consisted of low clouds obscuring the higher terrain, gusting winds, and freezing precipitation.

The airplane was equipped with a ballistic recovery parachute system. Upon reaching the site, investigators found that the parachute had not deployed. The rocket launching mechanism was expended and the triggering mechanism exhibited impact damage.

The way they used the term “expended” means the rocket motor had fired due to the impact of the crash. It was not deployed by the pilot but a result of the impact and crash fire.

5

Since English is a foreign language to me, what does the last sentence mean? It looks like the pilot deployed the launching mechanism, or am I misinterpreting the word expend.

I sure hope the latter is the case.

The airplane was equipped with a ballistic recovery parachute system. Upon reaching the site, investigators found that the parachute had not deployed. The rocket launching mechanism was expended and the triggering mechanism exhibited impact damage.

Obviously this all depends on full investigation, but the evidence to date, including the phrasing of this report, does not seem consistent with the idea of a parachute failure.

  • In mentioning “impact damage” to the triggering mechanism, they would seem to be indicating that it could have been set off by the crash itself.

  • Other reports suggest an intense post-crash fire, which presumably would have ignited the rocket launcher if it weren’t already set off. (“Expended” here would simply mean that the fuel in the rocket launcher is used up.)

  • Other evidence has also suggested something more like a horizontal flight into terrain than a steep vertical impact. This too would argue to some extent against the failed-parachute scenario.

Again, this is just my inference and hypothesis, directed toward ruling out possibilities rather than assuming what the cause actually was. jf

6

Since English is a foreign language to me, what does the last sentence mean? It looks like the pilot deployed the launching mechanism, or am I misinterpreting the word expend.

I sure hope the latter is the case.

Placido

The FAA’s English can be a foreign language to all of us Placido, so don’t feel bad. English is my native language and even so I found the wording odd and wondered if it was perhaps deliberately obtuse.

Nonetheless my own first interpretation of the sentence would have been that the rocket “cooked off” in the fire or its launching mechanism was triggered by impact.

7

Since English is a foreign language to me, what does the last sentence mean? It looks like the pilot deployed the launching mechanism, or am I misinterpreting the word expend.

I sure hope the latter is the case.

Placido

NTSB Identification: LAX01FA145

Accident occurred Tuesday, April 10, 2001 at Sierra Vista, AZ

Aircraft:Cirrus Design Corp. SR20, registration: N116CD

Injuries: 3 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On April 10, 2001, about 1850 hours mountain standard time, a Cirrus SR20, N116CD, collided with mountainous terrain and burned northwest of Sierra Vista, Arizona. The airplane was destroyed and the certificated private pilot and his two passengers received fatal injuries. The airplane was being operated as a personal flight by the pilot/owner under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight originated from the Tucson International Airport about 1830, with Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the intended destination. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site and no flight plan had been filed.

Concerned family members reported the aircraft overdue when it failed to arrive as scheduled. Civil Air Patrol initiated a search and personnel located the accident site on April 14, 2001. The burned wreckage was located near the crest on the side of a ridgeline at 5,200 feet msl. The wreckage distribution was localized within about a 50-foot radius of a single ground disturbance scar on the 30-degree slope of the mountain.

According to witnesses in the vicinity of the accident site, the weather conditions consisted of low clouds obscuring the higher terrain, gusting winds, and freezing precipitation.

The airplane was equipped with a ballistic recovery parachute system. Upon reaching the site, investigators found that the parachute had not deployed. The rocket launching mechanism was expended and the triggering mechanism exhibited impact damage.

The way they used the term “expended” means the rocket motor had fired due to the impact of the crash. It was not deployed by the pilot but a result of the impact and crash fire.

 I agree with your answer except the second part. I think that needs litle more investigation. I do hope you are correct.

Woor

8

The way they used the term “expended” means the rocket motor had fired due to the impact of the crash. It was not deployed by the pilot but a result of the impact and crash fire.

It means the rocket motor was activated. It does not have any meaning why. Maybe it was on impact, maybe from the fire afterward, and maybe prior to the crash and the parachute failed to deploy. Further investigation is required.

9

Since English is a foreign language to me, what does the last sentence mean? It looks like the pilot deployed the launching mechanism, or am I misinterpreting the word expend.

I sure hope the latter is the case.

Placido

NTSB Identification: LAX01FA145

Accident occurred Tuesday, April 10, 2001 at Sierra Vista, AZ

Aircraft:Cirrus Design Corp. SR20, registration: N116CD

Injuries: 3 Fatal.

Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site and no flight plan had been filed.

The wreckage distribution was localized within about a 50-foot radius of a single ground disturbance scar on the 30-degree slope of the mountain.

the weather conditions consisted of low clouds obscuring the higher terrain

The rocket launching mechanism was expended and the triggering mechanism exhibited impact damage.

The way they used the term “expended” means the rocket motor had fired due to the impact of the crash. It was not deployed by the pilot but a result of the impact and crash fire.

I agree with your answer except the second part.

Woor

considering the size of the impact area, I would thing the a/c impacted head on, meaning that if the pilot even saw the moumtain, there wasn’t enough time to avoid or even for the paraschute to deploy. Ground goes by quickly at 150kts

John

10

It’s one cable running from the top of cockpit to the chute.Impact im sure activated it as it only needs a 30 pund tug and impact can do all of that and more.

11

My guess is that Doug didn’t have the lift he needed. The chute could not have saved him.

Three grown males plus luggage not long after takeoff . . . Doug had to be at gross weight, or more.

Add altitude.

Add freezing rain.

It’s one cable running from the top of cockpit to the chute.Impact im sure activated it as it only needs a 30 pund tug and impact can do all of that and more.

12
  • Other evidence has also suggested something more like a horizontal flight into terrain than a steep vertical impact. This too would argue to some extent against the failed-parachute scenario.

Horizontal flight into a mountain does not rule out parachute failure. Flying in the mountains, IMC, not instrument rated, trys to deploy parachute, it fails, the only thing to do is keep flying the plane.

13
  • Other evidence has also suggested something more like a horizontal flight into terrain than a steep vertical impact. This too would argue to some extent against the failed-parachute scenario.

I don’t think a failed parachute is likely in this case. We don’t know yet, but classic CFIT fits the existing evidence.

The damage to the aircraft was massive so every part, rocket included, suffered high G forces, damaging strains and likely failure.

The question for me is: What extent of damage does it take to set off the rocket? The last thing you need after a survivable forced approach on rough terrain lying inverted, spilling fuel, is a rocket to go off. That’s not what happend in this case, but it is a more likely accident scenario than one that needs the 'chute. The net benefit of the 'chute is the saves minus the weight, minus any wrongful deployments.

Steve

14

It doesn’t rule it out, but where’s your case for it? My guess: no parachute deployment before the crash.

Joe

Horizontal flight into a mountain does not rule out parachute failure. Flying in the mountains, IMC, not instrument rated, trys to deploy parachute, it fails, the only thing to do is keep flying the plane.

15

My purpose was not to make a case for failed deployment, but to point out that with the information available any statement that the parachute did or did not fail is only an uneducated guess.

It doesn’t rule it out, but where’s your case for it? My guess: no parachute deployment before the crash.

Joe

Horizontal flight into a mountain does not rule out parachute failure. Flying in the mountains, IMC, not instrument rated, trys to deploy parachute, it fails, the only thing to do is keep flying the plane.

16

Whatever the eventual cause of this tragedy is found to be, it appears from the FAA prelim. that adverse weather was a factor. This should reinforce what we’ve all been taught: Never ever fly into IMC unless rated and equipped for IFR AND flying on an active IFR flight plan. It’s not worth the gamble: No airplane is a match for granite.

George

SR22 #95

My purpose was not to make a case for failed deployment, but to point out that with the information available any statement that the parachute did or did not fail is only an uneducated guess.

It doesn’t rule it out, but where’s your case for it? My guess: no parachute deployment before the crash.

Joe

Horizontal flight into a mountain does not rule out parachute failure. Flying in the mountains, IMC, not instrument rated, trys to deploy parachute, it fails, the only thing to do is keep flying the plane.