Saturday, November 03, 2018

Cirrus SR22, N256CD: Accident occurred February 23, 2016 near Palatka Municipal Airport (28J), Putnam County, Florida


The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Orlando, Florida
Cirrus Aircraft; Duluth, Minnesota 
Continental Motors; Mobile, Alabama 

Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms

https://registry.faa.gov/N256CD


Location: Palatka, FL
Accident Number: ERA16LA110
Date & Time: 02/23/2016, 1115 EST
Registration: N256CD
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of engine power (partial)
Injuries: 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal

On February 23, 2016, at 1115 eastern standard time, a Cirrus Design Corp. SR22, N256CD, was substantially damaged during impact with terrain, after deployment of the Cirrus Airplane Parachute System, following a partial loss of engine power near the Palatka Municipal Airport (28J), Palatka, Florida. The private pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight that departed from the Sanford-Lee County Airport (TTA), Sanford, North Carolina, about 0820. The flight was destined for the Leesburg International Airport (LEE), Leesburg, Florida. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The pilot stated that while in cruise flight, at an altitude of 7,000 feet mean sea level (msl), he began a descent to a lower altitude in preparation for arrival at the destination airport. Just after the descent began, he retarded the throttle "slightly" and the "power dropped dramatically, perhaps to idle." The propeller continued to rotate but he was unsure of the exact engine rpm as he did not look at the tachometer. He requested and received vectors from air traffic control to the nearest airport and turned toward 28J. He then switched fuel tanks, adjusted the mixture, switched magnetos, and moved the throttle to full and back to idle again, all with no effect. When he determined that the airplane would not be able to reach the airport, he deployed the airframe parachute system about 1,000 feet msl.

Examination of the airplane at the accident scene by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the it came to rest in a residential area, 2.8 nautical miles southeast of 28J, between a backyard shed and a recreational vehicle trailer. The parachute was entangled in power lines. The propeller and the nosewheel sustained damage, and the left aileron had separated from the wing. The inspector also noted that both wing fuel tanks were about half-full of fuel.

The airplane was recovered to a storage facility and examination of the engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. With the engine still installed on the airframe, an engine test-run was performed. The engine started after two revolutions and ran continuously. After a brief warmup, the throttle was advanced to 1,700 rpm and a magneto check was performed, during which the rpm drop was about 100 rpm for each magneto. The throttle was advanced to full power momentarily, and the engine reached 2,500 rpm. The throttle was then retarded to idle and the engine speed dropped to about 800 rpm. The mixture control was then pulled to the idle/cut position and the engine ceased running.

Data were download and plotted from an onboard engine monitor. Review of the data did not reveal any anomalies prior to or after the reduction in engine power and subsequent loss of engine power.

Pilot Information

Certificate: Private
Age: 61, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 3-point
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 Without Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 06/24/2014
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 05/01/2014
Flight Time:  1900 hours (Total, all aircraft), 402 hours (Total, this make and model), 1850 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 10 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 4 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 3 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP
Registration: N256CD
Model/Series: SR22 NO SERIES
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2002
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 0234
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 01/14/2016, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 3400 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 4 Hours
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 1387 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: CONT MOTOR
ELT: C91  installed, activated, did not aid in locating accident
Engine Model/Series: IO-550-N7B
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 310 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: K28J, 34 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 3 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1615 UTC
Direction from Accident Site: 322°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 2400 ft agl
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 3100 ft agl
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 8 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: / None
Wind Direction: 180°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 29.94 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 24°C / 19°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: SANFORD, NC (TTA)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Destination: LEESBURG, FL (LEE)
Type of Clearance: IFR
Departure Time: 0820 EST
Type of Airspace: Class E

Airport Information

Airport: PALATKA MUNI - LT KAY LARKIN F (28J)
Runway Surface Type: N/A
Airport Elevation: 47 ft
Runway Surface Condition:
Runway Used: N/A
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width:
VFR Approach/Landing: None

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Minor
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Minor
Latitude, Longitude:  29.620556, -81.655833 (est)



NTSB Identification: ERA16LA110 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, February 23, 2016 in Palatka, FL
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22, registration: N256CD
Injuries: 1 Minor.

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. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On February 23, 2016, at 1115 eastern standard time, a Cirrus Design Corp. SR22, N256CD, was substantially damaged during impact with terrain, after deployment of the Cirrus Airplane Parachute System, following a partial loss of engine power near the Palatka Municipal Airport (28J), Palatka, Florida. The private pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight that departed from the Sanford-Lee County Airport (TTA), Sanford, North Carolina, about 0820. The flight was destined for the Leesburg International Airport (LEE), Leesburg, Florida. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The pilot stated that while in cruise flight, at an altitude of 7,000 feet mean sea level (msl), he began a descent to a lower altitude in preparation for arrival at the destination airport. Just after the descent began, he retarded the throttle "slightly" and the "power dropped dramatically, perhaps to idle." The propeller continued to rotate but he was unsure of the exact engine rpm as he did not look at the tachometer. He requested and received vectors from air traffic control to the nearest airport and turned toward 28J. He then switched fuel tanks, adjusted the mixture, switched magnetos, and moved the throttle to full and back to idle again, all with no effect. When he determined that the airplane would not be able to reach the airport, he deployed the airframe parachute system about 1,000 feet msl.

Examination of the airplane at the accident scene by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the it came to rest in a residential area, 2.8 nautical miles southeast of 28J, between a backyard shed and a recreational vehicle trailer. The parachute was entangled in power lines. The propeller and the nosewheel sustained damage, and the left aileron had separated from the wing.

Initial examination of the engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. With the engine still installed in the airframe, an engine test-run was performed. The engine started after two revolutions and ran continuously. After a brief warmup, the throttle was advanced to 1,700 rpm and a magneto check was performed, during which the rpm drop was about 100 rpm for each magneto. The throttle was advanced to full power momentarily, and the engine reached 2,500 rpm. The throttle was then retarded to idle and the engine speed dropped to about 800 rpm. The mixture control was then pulled to the idle/cut position and the engine ceased running.

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