Friday, May 06, 2022

Cirrus SR22 GTS, N24LA: Fatal accident occurred May 06, 2022 in the Atlantic Ocean near Tybee Island, Georgia

Edwin Alton Farr
January 1, 1955 - May 6, 2022
~


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.

Investigator In Charge (IIC): Hill, Millicent

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

Additional Participating Entity:
Neil Baker; Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office;  West Columbia, South Carolina 

Farr Fly LLC
Location: Tybee Island, Georgia
Accident Number: ERA22LA220
Date and Time: May 6, 2022, 08:44 Local 
Registration: N24LA
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22 
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On May 6, 2022, at 0844 eastern daylight time, a Cirrus Design Corp SR22, N24LA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in the Atlantic Ocean near Tybee Island, Georgia. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

A review of preliminary Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data and air traffic control information obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration revealed that the airplane departed runway 27 at Whiteplains Airport (SC99), Lexington, South Carolina, about 0738. The airplane turned to a southbound heading, climbed to an altitude of about 4,000 ft mean sea level (msl) and flew for about 10 nautical miles (nm). The pilot had requested and was given an approach clearance for the RNAV GPS approach to runway 17 at Barnwell Regional Airport (BNL), Barnwell, South Carolina, about 48 miles from SC99.

The air traffic controller requested that the pilot provide a position report inbound on the approach over the “FATSU” waypoint. The pilot acknowledged the request but did not subsequently report passing the waypoint. The airplane overflew runway 17 at BNL about 2,200 ft msl and continued to fly another 113 miles on a 170° heading. The airplane crossed over the eastern coastline of Tybee Island and continued over the Atlantic Ocean for about 15 miles then began to slow and descend briefly. Then, when passing through about 1,500 ft msl, the airplane entered a left arcing descending turn with a corresponding increase in groundspeed. The last target was observed at 0844, as the airplane descended through 75 ft msl about 18 nm southeast of Tybee Island.

The wreckage was recovered on May 16, 2022, and retained for further examination.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP 
Registration: N24LA
Model/Series: SR22 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator: On file 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: VMC 
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: BNL,247 ft msl
Observation Time: 08:35 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 99 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 23°C /19°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 5 knots / , 210°
Lowest Ceiling: None 
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.87 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: Lexington, SC (SC99) 
Destination: Barnwell, SC (BML)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 31.705667,-80.707333

Aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean under unknown circumstances. 

Date: 06-MAY-22
Time: 13:00:00Z
Regis#: N24LA
Aircraft Make: CIRRUS
Aircraft Model: SR22
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: FATAL
Total Fatal: 1
Flight Crew 1
Pax 0
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: EN ROUTE (ENR)
Operation: 91
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: DESTROYED
City: SAVANNAH
State: GEORGIA

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation may contact them by email witness@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. You can also call the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290.




Lexington, South Carolina - Ed flew his last flight on May 6, 2022. Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Ed was the son of the late Daphne Harmon and Clifford Alton Farr. 

A graduate of Hammond Academy, Ed attended the College of Charleston. 

In 1979, Ed founded Heritage Roofing Company.

Ed is survived by his wife of forty years, Carol McConnell of Orangeburg, his children - who he was so proud of - daughter Ashley (Chad) Zimmerman, son Edwin (Carrie) Farr and his grandchildren - Harmon Zimmerman, Henry Zimmerman and Warren Farr. He is also survived by his brother-in-law Gene McConnell (Caroline), nieces and nephews. 

Ed was so talented and loved a project. He also enjoyed playing guitar and most importantly - he loved flying. 

Props, as he was known and loved by his grandchildren, cherished his time he spent with them and his beloved dogs, CoCo and Bo.

Ed always had a smile on his face and a funny story to tell. He never met a stranger and was always willing to help anyone. 

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on May 25, 2022 at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Lexington, S.C. with visitation following in the Parish Life Center. Memorials may be made to St. Peter's Lutheran Church, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, or a charity of one's choice.




CHATHAM COUNTY, Georgia (WTGS) — A small plane and it’s pilot, which had been missing since May 6, have both been recovered as of Thursday morning.

The pilot had crashed into the waters of Chatham County, possibly after running out of fuel.

The Bryan County Coroner, Bill Cox, said the body of Edwin Alton Farr, 67 of Lexington, South Carolina, was recovered on May 13.

“The family had hired someone to look for the plane and retrieve the body on Friday the 13th," Cox said. "They found the plane at five o’clock that evening and sent two divers down to retrieve the body from the plane.”

Lt. Eric Gaustad of the Bryan County Sheriff's Office said Farr’s body was found roughly 18 miles off the coast of Bryan County.

Farr’s remains were transported to the boat ramp at Fort McAllister and later transported to the GBI Crime Lab in Pooler.

Cox said a cause of death is currently under investigation. “The body was taken to the medical examiner’s office at GBI lab," Cox said. "An autopsy was performed, but it’s pending.”

Sea Tow Savannah was contracted to remove the submerged plane. "We were hired to go out and recover the plane from the bottom of the ocean," said Jim Givens, Sea Tow equipment operator. On Thursday, Givens and his team at Sea Tow Savannah towed the plane about 35 miles to Half Moon Marina on Colonels Island in Liberty County on Thursday, which is six days after the body was recovered.





A small plane which had been missing since May 6, was recovered Thursday morning. The pilot was recovered May 13

The pilot had crashed into the waters of Chatham county possibly after running out of fuel.

Bryan County Coroner, Bill Cox said the body of Edwin Alton Farr, 67 of Lexington, South Carolina was recovered Friday May 13, in the afternoon.

 Lt. Eric Gaustad of the Bryan County Sheriffs Office said Farr’s body was received roughly about 18 miles off the coast of Bryan County.  Farr’s remains were transported to the boat ramp at Fort McAllister and later transported to the GBI Crime Lab in Pooler.

Cox said a cause of death is currently under investigation and Farr’s family picked up his cremated remains on Thursday afternoon.

The plane was towed from the crash site about 35 miles to Half Moon Marina on Colonels Island in Liberty County.




The body of a missing pilot and a missing plane have been recovered off the coast of Bryan County.

The Bryan County coroner says the human remains found in the waters off the coast of Bryan County are that of 67 year old Edwin Farr.

Farr is from Lexington, South Carolina.

Crews found his body on Friday, May 13, about 18 miles off the coast.

Officials then discovered the plane yesterday, and brought it to shore today. They had suspended their search for the plane back on Friday, May 6.

The search started when a South Carolina airport reported Farr’s plane missing.

Farr was supposed to land at 9 a.m. that morning, but never made it.

His cause of death, and the crash itself, are still under investigation.

37 comments:

  1. Departed Whiteplains, was supposed to land at Barnwell to refuel but continued straight ahead and crashed into the ocean, possible medical or CO poisoning ?

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    1. Ending looks like fuel exhaustion. On autopilot, squawking 5516.

      Flight track:
      https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a22ea1&lat=32.676&lon=-81.493&zoom=7.8&showTrace=2022-05-06&trackLabels&timestamp=1651840110

      https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N24LA

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    2. Nearby METARS (As wind/water entry/local altimeter references):
      KHXD 061250Z 23008KT 10SM CLR 25/19 A2992
      KHXD 061150Z 21006KT 10SM CLR 23/19 A2991

      KSVN 061256Z AUTO 22007KT 10SM CLR 24/22 A2990
      KSVN 061156Z AUTO 22007KT 10SM CLR 22/21 A2988

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    3. Flight track of Cirrus N61JM that helped out:
      https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a7ed39&lat=31.796&lon=-80.845&zoom=10.3&showTrace=2022-05-06&trackLabels&timestamp=1651840110

      Both aircraft tracks in one view:
      https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a22ea1,a7ed39&lat=31.796&lon=-80.845&zoom=10.3&showTrace=2022-05-06&trackLabels&timestamp=1651840110

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    4. Or, another mysterious mRNA Covic so-called vaccination death.

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  2. I have flown with this pilot in the past — before he bought his SR22GTS. He was extremely conscientious and proficient in the cockpit, and a very nice guy. I agree with the first poster: the track on Flight Aware looks like he made his initial altitude and course change to hit Barnwell, then something happened. Looks like his autopilot was operating for the rest of the flight. His ultimate destination was Fernandina Beach. So, maybe he had plenty of fuel to get to Barnwell, where he often stopped and had a hangar, but not enough to get to Fernandina Beach. He was in his mid-60s. My guess this was medical.

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  3. was friends with the pilot, we lost a great guy, he was an amazing person. He left Whiteplains SC99, IFR, contacted CAE departure, cleared direct KBNL, short time later ATC asked which approach he wanted into KBNL, RNAV (GPS) 17, then cleared direct FATSU (The IF/IAF for RNAV 17), shortly later handed over to ZJAX (Jacksonville Center), He read back the hand off. Last time we can hear him on ATC recordings. You can't hear him reply to Jax Center due to recording issues but ZJAX asked him if he had weather and Notams at KBNL, They descend him to 2200' and cleared him for the approach, then shortly later handed him over to unicom frequency. His flight path shows him intercepting the final approach course at 2200' but he never descends on the approach. I don't know anything about the Cirrus but maybe at the MAP the plane went into Heading Hold and Altitude Hold? Continued on heading til running out of fuel 16 miles offshore Georgia Coast. ATC assumed he went missed approach by what they tell N61JM (The intercept aircraft). N61JM intercepts and follows his airplane til it runs out of fuel and crashes in the ocean. N61JM Reports no chute, no door open, and sinks quickly with the tail vertical in the water. Thank you to N61JM for what they did, it means a lot. Hopefully the NTSB will recover the aircraft and pilot.

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    1. N61JM circled over the accident site for what looks like around 40 minutes. agree, thank you to that pilot.

      https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N61JM/history/20220506/1119Z/KSGJ/KLRO

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    2. Heart attack or massive stroke.

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  4. Sad day. Nautical chart 11480 shows 8 fathoms (48 feet) in the vicinity of the 31.7,-80.7 ADS-B location coordinates just before water entry.

    https://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/11480.shtml

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    1. No pilot expects to end up lost at sea and the occurrence frequency of this type of sinking while incapacitated within a closed cabin is very low, but this pilot's family would have been grateful for a pinger to have been aboard to help locate the submerged aircraft.

      Underwater locator pingers used on airliner flight recorders will ping for 90 days underwater, are only 4 inches long and weigh about 8 ounces including the mounting bracket. Standby time of the battery with no activation is 7 years and one typical example priced online is $1,400 retail.

      With Cirrus already being equipped with the expensive parachute package and an ELT, the company could offer the pinger as a "Level 2" crash equipage enhancement option.

      Would any Cirrus customer choose to add a pinger? Maybe not, but with retail cost currently being similar to an ELT, the option cost wouldn't be significant to the overall purchase. The first GA manufacturer to offer pingers so that wreckage can be located and responsibly removed will win "Clean the Oceans" praise, which could be an important advantage toward earning favorable ESG judgments in the times ahead.

      Photo example of pinger mounted to flight recorder:
      http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/06/23/746652/10139292/en/photos/347532/33941/347532.jpg

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    2. This pilot's family would not have benefited from an underwater ping device because the location was known due to N61JM observing the final moments and USCG deploying resources promptly.

      Regardless, underwater ping devices could have an important place in some mission profiles.

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    3. The USCG called off it's search that Friday night, but didn't find the sunken plane. The pilot was not found.

      #Update @USCG suspended the active search for the missing aircraft Friday night, pending new information. #USCG #D7 #SAR #WassawIsland #Ga

      — USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) May 7, 2022

      Can't understand why anyone would assert that a pinger would not have benefited the family. Has knowing the water entry coordinates from the ADS-B tracks of the accident aircraft and N61JM resulted in recovery of the pilot's body for burial by some search that has been conducted since the USCG gave up trying?

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    4. The plane was found on Friday, May 13th, by a recovery company hired by the family. It is my understanding that the pilot's body has been recovered. I do not know what the family/insurance carrier's decided about recovering the plane. The pilot of N61JM has spoken with family members (as did one of his passengers) and was very helpful in multiple ways. His conduct speaks well of all pilots.

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    5. That's good news. Web searching for the "missing aircraft found" news story still doesn't turn up this one at the moment.

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  5. Newer Cirruses have "auto descend" logic where at high altitudes, a pilot is prompted to respond if they haven't interacted with the aircraft in a number of minutes and if they fail to do so, the autopilot automatically descends to a lower altitude in case the pilot was incapacitated due to hypoxia. Perhaps in the future, it could also prompt the pilot if the plane has been on autopilot for a while and fuel is becoming critically low. If no response is received, it autodeploys CAPS.

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    1. That's what I was thinking, and take it a step further some of the new equipped Garmin airplanes have the red autoland button. No response within 5 minutes? The airplane will land at the nearest suitable airport.

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    2. While in principal the idea of an auto-auto-land is interesting, it essentially turns the plane in to a slow guided missile, with no way to call abort if something on the ground is in the way. Whether developing a technology to trigger a go-around (radio, light/laser, onboard AI) would be nothing crazy, THAT is not the hard part. Probably 2% technology and 98% red-tape (including liability).

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  6. No chute deployment also leads to a medical situation.

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  7. straight line distance from Whiteplains SC99 to KBNL is 49 mi., and to final ADS-B return 31.7268,-80.71 an additional 113 mi.

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  8. from the ATC tapes it sounds like pilot incapacitation. Autopsy will confirm COD

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  9. Sounds like a medical issue. Every pilot on a long flight (and passengers for that matter) can be a victim of DVT. In the absence of the ability to get out of your seat and taking a stroll up and down the cabin, the next best thing is to take a baby aspirin every day. I'll take two baby asprins when I know I'm going on a flight (even commercial) lasting more than 1 hour. I did JFK to Las Vegas last month and thought to myself that I am surprised it doesn't happen more often.

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    1. After a 2 hour cross country today I felt like the old man I am.

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  10. Update:
    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/plane-that-crashed-in-atlantic-recovered-off-bryan-county-coast/ar-AAXu7FL?li=BBnbfcL (article)

    https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAXu6eZ.img?w=768&h=1024&m=6 (photo)

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    1. The appearance of the CAPS hatch cover in the photo suggests that removal or safing of the rocket was done between the float bag rise to the surface for towing and the crane lift. Makes sense to do so.

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    2. BRS manual at page 80 advises emergency personnel actions:
      https://brsaerospace.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/020002-01-Rev.-A.pdf

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  11. CAPS should auto deploy at altitude when fuel exhaustion is detected.

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    1. In other words take an aircraft that may actually land safely and turn it into an semi-controlled crash.

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    2. Pilot running low on fuel at end of over water leg: "HAL, disable auto-chute deploy please, I've got the island's runway within easy glide distance and am expecting to hit fuel exhaustion at any moment now"

      Automated voice: "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that"

      There would have to be a disable switch. Doubtful that any pilot would leave an auto-deploy system enabled. One lawsuit from an unwanted auto-deploy crash would result in every so-equipped aircraft getting the auto-deploy function permanently disabled by factory initiative or FAA AD.

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    3. The CAP system in the SR22 is a high-priced sense of security gimmick in order to attract buyers with deep pockets that think the system is a fail-safe rescue that will save their lives should things turn south. There is a very small number of incidents were the CAP actually saved the day.

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    4. Not sure you thought your comment through, "CAPS should auto deploy at an altitude when fuel exhaustion is detected." By that reasoning, if you're on fumes coming in on final, but can still make a landing, you run out of fuel at 500', the CAPS deploys and everyone dies. Premise being not enough altitude for the chute to fully deploy and arrest the descent. We are PICs for a reason.

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    5. Just guessing here, but there is a some likelihood that reluctant spouses get nudged into accepting a pilot's plan to purchase and fly because of the perceived benefit of the chute.

      Nobody tells the spouse that an engine out right after the runway pavement falls astern on takeoff isn't helped by having the chute, but successful deployments in situation-appropriate circumstances earn the praise that is given.

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    6. A more reasonable comment was made on May 9th so there must be critical low fuel AND on autopilot AND a lack of any pilot input after multiple warnings to trigger the "auto chute".

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    7. CAPS is very useful just like an airbag system on a car. Hundreds of lives saved. I still hear from macho types that argue if they lose a wing or are over water and need to ditch they will somehow save the day using their macho superior aviation skills because only real pilot fly with no seatbelts and no shoulder harnesses and no caps.

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  12. Thanks JM AIRWAYS LLC of WEST PALM BEACH , FL, US. Ur flight route of N61JM in assisting eventual recovery. Diverted for 1 hour, flew at 500ft for 5 minutes. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N61JM/history/20220506/1119Z/KSGJ/KLRO

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  13. Well, somebody needs to say it… https://usfreedomflyers.org/vaxxed-pilot-goes-into-cardiac-arrest-freedom-flyers-expose-massive-airline-cover-up/

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  14. Cirrus engineered the CAPS system for one exclusive reason: The aircraft cannot recover in a spin, however, the FAA approved their design if the CAPS system was installed.
    As a side benefit - Cirrus Design uses the CAPS system in their marketing as a significant safety device...which is it. So far 37 deployments have saved lives.

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