Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet, N52CV: Accident occurred December 27, 2019 at Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO), California

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.

The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Los Angeles, California
Cirrus Aircraft; Duluth, Minnesota

Location: Santa Monica, CA
Accident Number: WPR20FA051
Date & Time: 12/27/2019, 1145 PST
Registration: N52CV
Aircraft: Cirrus SF50
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal

On December 27, 2019, about 1145 Pacific standard time, a Cirrus Design Corporation SF50 (Vision Jet), N52CV, caught fire prior to departure from Santa Monica Municipal Airport, Santa Monica, California. The private pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was privately owned and being operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the cross-country flight destined for McClellan-Palomar Airport, Carlsbad.

Upon arrival at the airplane, the pilot began to perform preflight checks and completed a walkaround. After boarding and closing the cabin door, he continued with the checks and observed haze in the cabin accompanied by a faint smell of smoke. He continued to follow the checklists and after starting the engine, the smoke smell became stronger, and he decided to terminate flight preparations, and have a mechanic examine the airplane.

After completing the engine shutdown, he opened the main cabin door, and began to see smoke issue from the armrest area of the number 5 (right center) passenger seat (Photo 1). A mechanic arrived at the airplane with a fire extinguisher within a few minutes, however the smoke had become dense, and was now streaming out of the cabin door. A few minutes later, flames began to emerge from the cabin, and by 1155 the cabin was completely engulfed. The fire department arrived at 1202, and the fire was extinguished.

The airplane sustained extensive thermal damage, with fire consuming the cabin roof and destroying the cabin contents from the aft wall of the parachute (CAPs) enclosure through to the engine inlet nacelle, with fire damage more extensive on the right side of the airframe. Fire had consumed the lower right walls of the cabin down to the wing root, with only composite cloth remaining. The right wing was intact, but sustained thermal damage to the upper skin from the root outboard about 4 ft short of the tip. The left wing, and lower left exterior skins of the cabin were largely free of fire damage.

The airplane remained on its main landing gear, and was able to support its own weight without significant structural deformation. The tail assembly aft of the pressure bulkhead, along with the engine and engine compartment were essentially undamaged.


Photo 1 – Smoke in the Area of Seat 5

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Cirrus
Registration: N52CV
Model/Series: SF50 No Series
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
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: SMO, 170 ft msl
Observation Time: 1951 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 14°C / 5°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 7 knots / , 210°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility:  10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.94 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Santa Monica, CA (SMO)
Destination: Carlsbad, CA (CRQ)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None
Latitude, Longitude: 34.013333, -118.452222


The Santa Monica Fire Department was investigating after a small plane registered to a company in Utah went up in flames at the Santa Monica Airport Friday afternoon. No injuries were reported.

Story and video ➤ https://losangeles.cbslocal.com