Cirrus SR20 N566T

Summary

On 3 November 2002 at about 19:25 local time, a Cirrus SR20 registered N566T was involved in an accident near Las Vegas, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 November 2002 at 19:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Las Vegas, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

35.5289, -105.1672

Aircraft

Cirrus SR20

Registration

N566T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Goodland → Albuquerque

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW03FA029

1 person died.

The pilot's inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions and failure to maintain clearance with the terrain. A contributing factor was the pilot's failure to obtain an updated preflight weather briefing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a cross-country flight, the non-instrument rated private pilot encountered heavy fog and poor visibility, and the airplane was destroyed after impacting the terrain in a wildlife refuge. Wildlife refuge personnel stated the weather was clear on the morning of the accident. However, later that morning, the weather deteriorated, and the wildlife refuge personnel stated, "the fog was very heavy and visibility was very poor." While driving throught the wildlife refuge, an employee discovered a portion of the airplane wreckage on the side of the road. An AIRMET, issued and valid for the area, reported the following: "occasional ceiling below 1,000 feet, visibility below 3 miles in mist, fog...Mountains occasionally obscured clouds, mist, fog..." On the day of the accident, the pilot did not file a flight plan or receive a formal weather briefing from a FAA flight service station. The wreckage distribution path measured approximately 1,200 feet in length on a measured magnetic heading of 280 degrees. The initial impact ground scar was consistent with the right wing and all three landing gear, and white paint transfer was found on the dirt in the ground scar. During examination of the airplane, no anomalies were found with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal flight operations. The airplane's parachute system had not been activated by the pilot.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.