ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 210766
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| Date: | Friday 11 May 2018 |
| Time: | 20:19 |
| Type: |  Cirrus SR22 G2 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N507TX |
| MSN: | 1429 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2005 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1269 hours |
| Engine model: | Teledyne Continental IO-550-N (27) |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Douglas County, Parker, CO -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Denver-Centennial Airport, CO (APA/KAPA) |
| Grand Junction-Walker Field, CO (GJT/KGJT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The instrument-rated private pilot departed on a visual flight rules cross-country flight just before the end of civil twilight. After departing to the north, the pilot turned onto a left downwind to depart the area toward the south; the controller advised the pilot to stay west of the extended runway centerline, which the pilot acknowledged. However, about 2 minutes after takeoff, the airplane turned east and crossed the extended centerline. After crossing the centerline, the controller asked the pilot to state his intentions, and the pilot replied that he was going to return to the airport. The airplane turned back toward the airport and began tracking west toward the extended centerline; radar contact was lost several minutes later.
The airplane impacted a field about 2.5 miles to the south of the approach end of the runway. The airplane was massively fragmented during the impact and debris was scattered for about 1,200 ft. The damage to the airplane and the ground scars at the accident site were consistent with the airplane impacting in a right wing low, nose low attitude with relatively high energy.
The postaccident examination of the engine and propeller assembly did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Signatures were consistent with the engine producing power and the propeller developing thrust at the time of impact. While the massive fragmentation precluded functional testing of the flight controls, there was no damage or failure that suggested preimpact anomalies with the airframe or flight controls.
While visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the airport, statements from two pilots flying instrument approaches to runway 35R suggest that the pilot likely encountered and was flying in the clouds to the south of the airport just before the accident.
A review of radar data and voice communications revealed that the instructions issued by the controller, to the pilot, were reasonable and in accordance with air traffic control procedures. Investigators were not able to establish why the pilot did not comply with air traffic control instructions.
The accident flight was the airplane's first flight after completion of an annual inspection, and the pilot was flying to meet his family for an event in another state. It is likely that the pilot was experiencing self-induced pressure to complete the flight as planned in order to maintain the family's schedule of events, and as a result, chose to depart on the visual flight rules flight over mountainous terrain at night in marginal weather conditions. The pilot's logbook was not recovered, and the recency of his instrument flight experience could not be determined.
Based upon the reported weather conditions, the location and fragmentation of the wreckage, and radar data, it is likely that the pilot experienced spatial disorientation shortly after entering the clouds which resulted in a loss of control and descent into terrain. The reason for the pilot's stated intention to return to the airport after takeoff could not be determined, but it is possible that he became distracted and that distraction contributed to his disorientation and loss of control.
Probable Cause: The pilot's loss of control due to spatial disorientation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's self-induced pressure to fly the airplane at night in marginal weather conditions.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N507TX
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
Updated story and pictures from scene of the fatal Parker plane crash where I chatted with the homeowner whose living room wall was inundated with the plane\'s engine. READ: https://t.co/1lhUJ2dXov via @denverpost pic.twitter.com/3qDgy2ekcz
— Elizabeth Hernandez (@ehernandez) 12 mai 2018
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-May-2018 03:36 | Geno | Added |
| 12-May-2018 03:51 | Geno | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 12-May-2018 03:53 | Geno | Updated [Narrative] |
| 12-May-2018 06:07 | gerard57 | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities] |
| 12-May-2018 14:51 | Anon. | Updated [Source] |
| 12-May-2018 17:35 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Nature, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 12-May-2018 18:01 | Avillery | Updated [Registration, Cn, Source] |
| 12-May-2018 21:02 | Geno | Updated [Operator, Phase, Source] |
| 12-May-2018 22:51 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Time, Source, Embed code] |
| 12-May-2018 22:53 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 12-May-2018 22:55 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 13-May-2018 06:38 | Pilot Tom | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 30-Aug-2018 19:06 | sdbeach | Updated [Source] |
| 11-Nov-2019 17:42 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 11-Nov-2019 18:26 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Photo] |
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