Cirrus SR20 N787SL

Summary

On 15 September 2006 at about 19:32 local time, a Cirrus SR20 registered N787SL was involved in an accident near Maybell, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 September 2006 at 19:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Maybell, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Na

Coordinates

40.9844, -108.8000

Aircraft

Cirrus SR20

Registration

N787SL

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tooele → Lincoln

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN06FA131

2 people died.

The pilot's improper in-flight planning and decision making resulting in an inadvertent encounter with severe icing conditions during cruise flight and subsequent loss of aircraft control. Contributing factors include the pilot's failure to obtain a weather briefing, the thunderstorm, conditions conducive for structural icing, and the pilot's failure to deploy the parachute recovery system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot contacted ARTCC and stated he needed a lower altitude, as he was encountering icing conditions. Several altitude changes were assigned. Ultimately the pilot was assigned a block altitude from 12,000 feet to 13,000 feet. The pilot reported that they were in serious icing conditions and the controller cleared the pilot to an altitude of 11,000 feet. Shortly thereafter, voice and radar communications with the airplane were lost. The wreckage was located scattered over a 1.5 mile area between Colorado and Wyoming. Signatures at the scene showed evidence consistent with a ground impact deployment of the parachute recovery system, resulting in fragmentation of the airplane, as it was drug by high winds. An examination of the remaining airplane systems revealed no anomalies. Thunderstorm activity existed along the route of flight along with severe icing and turbulence. The pilot had not obtained a full weather briefing prior to the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.