Hemphill, TX, USA
N729SR
CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22
The instrument-rated private pilot, along with two passengers, departed on an instrument flight rules (IFR) cross-country flight. The pilot requested to climb to 10,000 feet and was cleared to do so. Shortly thereafter, the pilot reported that he was level at 10,000 feet. Approximately 33 minutes later, air traffic control (ATC) radioed the pilot with a frequency change; however, the pilot did not respond. Repeated attempts to contact the pilot were unsuccessful as the airplane continued flying a straight course, while at 10,000 feet, towards its intended destination. One hour and 33 minutes after the last pilot contact, the autopilot equipped airplane made a rapid descending right turn before radar contact was lost. In the area of the last radar contact, several fishermen reported observing the accident airplane descending nose down and impacting the surface of a reservoir. The airplane's wreckage came to rest about 40 feet below the surface of the water. Calculations revealed that if the pilot maintained full throttle and did not switch fuel tanks during the flight, the selected fuel tank would have been nearly empty by the time it reached the area near the crash site; thus a loss of engine power could have occurred. Multiple dives were conducted in an attempt to recover the wreckage. The ballistic parachute was found in its storage bag and had not been deployed. The fiberglass fuselage and wings were not located. In addition, the avionics equipment with nonvolatile memory, that would have recorded the accident flight, was not located. Maintenance records revealed that in the previous year and a half, the airplane’s number six exhaust header was found to be cracked and was replaced three separate times; however, the exhaust system was not recovered and therefore could not be examined to see if possible carbon monoxide leaks were present. The airplane was not equipped with a factory installed carbon monoxide detector, and investigators were unable to determine if an aftermarket unit was installed. Due to the limited remains that were recovered, an autopsy could not be accomplished on the pilot or passengers. In addition, adequate specimens were not recovered to perform toxological testing for the presence of carbon monoxide or cyanide. No reported radio communications with the airplane for the hour prior to the accident, straight and level flight consistent with flying with an autopilot with no deviations, estimated fuel calculations indicating that the airplane could have exhausted all its fuel by the time it reached the accident location, a repeated history of exhaust leaks, no evidence of an on-board carbon monoxide detector, and radar showing the airplane in an unarrested descent prior to impact, suggest that the pilot and passengers may have been incapacitated during the last portion of the flight. However, due to the limited recovery of airplane wreckage and human remains to test for carbon monoxide, incapacitation could not be confirmed and the reason for the unarrested descent into the lake could not be determined.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 22, 2008, about 1550 central daylight time, a single-engine Cirrus Design SR22 airplane, N729SR, was destroyed when it impacted water following a loss of control near Hemphill, Texas. The private pilot and the two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by McAir LLC, of West Memphis, Arkansas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The 427-nautical mile cross-country flight originated from the Tupelo Regional Airport (TUP), Tupelo, Mississippi, at 1346 and was destined for the David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (DWH), in Houston, Texas. According to an employee at TUP, the pilot arrived on April 19, 2008 and had the airplane topped off with fuel and stored in a hangar. On the day of the accident, the pilot arrived around 1300 and had the airplane pulled out. The pilot then "sumped" the airplane's fuel tanks and did a "walk around" prior to boarding the airplane along with his two passengers. The employee last observed the airplane flying south over the airport. While the autopilot equipped airplane was in cruise flight near Monroe, Louisiana, air traffic control attempted to contact the pilot with a frequency change; however, the pilot did not respond. Repeated attempts to contact the pilot were unsuccessful as the airplane continued flying a straight course, while at 10,000 feet, towards DWH. At 1549 the airplane made a rapid descending right turn before radar contact was lost in the area of Hemphill, Texas. Several fishermen on the Toledo Bend Reservoir, near Hemphill, Texas, reported hearing an airplane engine that they described as either "cutting out, sputtering or stalling." However, they could not initially see the airplane because of clouds. Moments later they observed the accident airplane descending nose down and impacting into the reservoir. The witnesses and first responders collected floating debris and noted the GPS location of the impact site. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 54, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) third-class medical was issued on November 15, 2006, with the limitation of "MUST WEAR CORRECTIVE LENSES." The pilot's log book was not located during the investigation. The pilot reported a total flight time of 1,700 hours with 130 hours in the last six month on his last medical application. The pilot's time in make / model and the date of his last flight review is unknown. According to University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation records, the pilot took the Cirrus Factory Training Course from August 31, 2006, to September 3, 2006, and logged 12.8 hours of dual flight instruction. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The 2006-model Cirrus SR22, serial number 2115, was a low wing, composite airplane, equipped with a fixed landing gear, and was configured for 4 occupants. The airplane was powered by a direct drive, horizontally opposed, fuel injected, air-cooled, six-cylinder engine. The engine was a Continental IO-550-N (42), serial number 689897, rated at 310 horsepower at 2,700 rpm, and was driving a three-bladed constant speed Hartzell propeller. The airplane was also equipped with a Cirrus Airplane Parachute System (CAPS), which included a solid-propellant rocket used to deploy a 2,400-square-foot round canopy. According to the SR22 pilot operating manual (POH), "CAPS is normally initiated by pulling the CAPS Activation T-handle installed in the cabin ceiling on the airplane centerline just above the pilot’s right shoulder.” The activation T- handle could be activated from someone seated in any of the four seats. According to the airframe and engine logbooks, the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on September 14, 2007, with an airframe and engine total time of 219 hours. The airframe and engine total time at the time of the accident was unknown; however, a work order dated December 28, 2007, listed the total time as 333.3 hours. A review of the airplane's records revealed that on November 7, 2006, the number six exhaust header was replaced after it was found cracked. On January 4, 2007, the number six exhaust header was again found to be cracked. The corrective action was the installation of new parts consisting of the numbers two, four, and six exhaust headers, and the exhaust collector. Then again on December 28, 2007, the number six exhaust header was found to be cracked and was replaced. The airplane was not equipped with a factory installed carbon monoxide detector, and investigators were unable to determine if an aftermarket unit was installed. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION At 1546, the automated weather observing system at the Jasper County Airport (JAS), Jasper, Texas, located 35 nautical miles southwest from the site of the accident, reported wind from 180 degrees at 5 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, scattered clouds at 11,000 feet, temperature 82 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 29.94 inches of Mercury. COMMUNICATIONS The following is a timeline of communications between the pilot of N729SR and Air Traffic Control (ATC). 1345: Tupelo Tower requested a clearance for N729SR. Memphis Center (R12) cleared N729SR to David Wayne Hooks as filed. 1348: N729SR checked on frequency and was cleared to 6,000 feet. 1357: N729SR was instructed and climbed to 8,000 feet. 1408: N729SR requested to climb to 10,000 feet and was cleared to do so. 1416: R12 instructed N729SR to switch frequency to Memphis Center Jackson Low Altitude Control (R66). N729SR checked in with R66 level at 10,000 feet. 1449: R66 instructed N729SR to switch frequency to Monroe Radar Approach Control(MLU). N729SR did not respond. ATC repeatedly attempted to again communicate with N729SR over the next 61 minutes; however, no further radio transmissions were received. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The airplane's scattered wreckage debris came to rest about 40-feet below the surface of the reservoir among a forest of standing and fallen trees. In addition, the reservoir floor was covered with approximately three feet of silt. Three separate dives were conducted in an attempt to recover the wreckage. Among the recognizable parts recovered were, the engine, propeller, left aileron, right flap, right elevator, left and right main landing gear, empennage, firewall, various fiberglass wing parts, and the ballistic parachute in its storage bag. The fiberglass fuselage including cabin area was not located. The avionics equipment with nonvolatile memory and the engine exhaust system were not located. The engine exhibited heavy impact damage and was absent of all accessories. The number six cylinder had separated from the crankcase, and the number five cylinder head had separated from the barrel. The number six cylinder was later recovered. The intake pipes, oil lines, fuel lines, oil sump, and front camshaft gear were missing. All camshaft to rocker arm push rods were missing except for cylinders numbers one and two, and one pushrod for the number four cylinder. Both crankcase halves were fractured on the upper side near the front. Holes were drilled in the crankcase halves to examine the interior of the engine with a lighted borescope. The crankshaft and camshaft were complete and no internal parts were observed to be broken. The crankshaft counterweights were in their respected positions. The three bladed propeller was found attached to the engine via the crankshaft flange. The spinner was not located. Blade "A" was loose in the hub, bent 90 degrees towards the non-cambered side, and the tip of the blade was separated approximately 33 inches outboard from the hub. Blade "B" was loose in the hub, bent 90 degrees towards the non-cambered side, was separated approximately 17 inches outboard from the hub. Blade "C" was loose in the hub, bent 90 degrees towards the non-cambered side, and was separated approximately 29 inches outboard from the hub, and exhibited leading edge gouging. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION Due to the limited remains that were recovered, an autopsy could not be performed on the pilot or passengers. In addition, The FAA, Toxicology Accident Research Laboratory, located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, did not receive adequate specimens to perform testing for the presence of carbon monoxide or cyanide; however, sufficient tissue was recovered and tested for volatiles and drugs. The results of these tests were negative. The death certificate issued by Sabine County, Texas, listed the pilot's cause of death as "Multiple Injuries." ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) calculated the fuel consumption for the flight using performance data provided by Cirrus Aircraft. Calculations reveal that if the pilot maintained full throttle and did not switch fuel tanks during the flight, the selected fuel tank would have contained approximately 2.1 gallons of usable fuel by the time it reached the area near the crash site.
A loss of control for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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