Sunday, February 09, 2020

Loss of Control in Flight: Cirrus SR22T, N702N; accident occurred August 10, 2017 at Raton Municipal Airport (KRTN), Colfax County, New Mexico

Destruction of Cirrus SR22T, N702N.
The aircraft was destroyed.


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

Additional Participating Entity: 

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Albuquerque, New Mexico

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


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


http://registry.faa.gov/N702N

Location: Raton, NM
Accident Number: CEN17LA359
Date & Time: 08/10/2017, 1614 MDT
Registration: N702N
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22T
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of control in flight
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

On August 10, 2017, about 1614 mountain daylight time, a Cirrus SR22T airplane, N702N, sustained substantial damage when it veered off the runway while landing at the Raton Municipal Airport (RTN), Raton New Mexico. The private pilot sustained minor injuries and one passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was privately owned, and the personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the area and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed. The cross-country flight originated from the South Arkansas Regional Airport (ELD), El Dorado, Arkansas, and RTN was its final destination.

According to the pilot, he was checking weather conditions (METARs) at RTN every hour along the route of flight from ELD. The METAR information consistently reflected winds out of the south at no more than 7 knots. Approaching RTN, the pilot had to maneuver around convective activity about 10 miles northwest of the airport. The pilot concealed his IFR flight plan about 6 to 7 miles from RTN. On approach, about 4 miles from RTN, someone from the fix based operator (FBO) radioed on UNICOM frequency and stated that the winds were 170° at 7 knots.

The airplane crossed the threshold of runway 20 at full flaps and 85 knots for landing. About 15 ft from touchdown, the airplane began to rapidly sink. The pilot attempted to arrest the decent, but the airplane bounced off the runway and began to be pushed hard to the left side of the runway by the wind. The pilot then initiated a go-around with full throttle and pulled back on the stick. The airplane climbed to about 15 to 20 ft off the ground, the stall warning went off, the right wing stalled and dropped. The airplane then struck an embankment off the right side of the runway and rolled onto its right side, resulting insubstantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings.

The pilot stated that once inside the FBO after the accident, a weather monitor screen showed that the winds were 170° at 7 knots, but it also showed the winds were 160° and variable to 230°. He also saw the windsock fully extended down runway 20. At 1612, according to the RTN METAR, the reported winds were 180° at 12 knots about 2 minutes prior to the accident. The pilot thought that he had experienced a large wind shear and tailwind shift just prior to touchdown. The pilot did not report any mechanical or flight control problems prior to the accident. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane after the accident did not find any anomalies with the airplane or flight controls.

Pilot Information

Certificate: Private
Age: 41, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:
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: 09/01/2016
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 08/08/2017
Flight Time:  (Estimated) 153 hours (Total, all aircraft), 83 hours (Total, this make and model), 85 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 49 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 8 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft) 

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP
Registration: N702N
Model/Series: SR22T NO SERIES
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2017
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 1494
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 01/20/2017, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.:
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 165 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: CONT MOTOR
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: TSIO-550-K
Registered Owner: N512CQ, LLC
Rated Power: 315 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Does Business As: RotarySwing Golf, LLC
Operator Designator Code: 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: RTN, 6352 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1612 MDT
Direction from Accident Site: 0°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 4200 ft agl
Visibility:  10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 12 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual:
Wind Direction: 180°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual:
Altimeter Setting: 30.21 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 26°C / 17°C
Precipitation and Obscuration:
Departure Point: Eldorado, AR (ELD)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Destination: Raton, NM (RTN)
Type of Clearance: IFR
Departure Time: 1130 CDT
Type of Airspace: Class E

Airport Information

Airport: Raton Municipal Airport (RTN)
Runway Surface Type: Asphalt
Airport Elevation: 6352 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 20
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 7620 ft / 75 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Traffic Pattern

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Minor
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor
Latitude, Longitude: 36.742500, -104.501667

5 comments:

  1. Brand new plane with a brand new pilot.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Another low time pilot Cirrus crash added to KR. In this case, it was bought by a 70 hour pilot. Who will be next? These are not 172s and just because you can afford one does not mean you can really handle one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's hard to believe it's been 2 1/2 years since this accident occurred.

    ReplyDelete
  4. No wonder our insurance rates are going up.

    ReplyDelete