Cirrus SR22T N857SW

Summary

On 3 November 2015 at about 15:50 local time, a Cirrus SR22T registered N857SW was involved in an accident near Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. 4 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 November 2015 at 15:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States

Nearest airport

Drake Field (FYV)

Coordinates

36.0567, -94.1744

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22T

Registration

N857SW

Category

Airplane

Year built

2014

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bentonville → Waco

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16LA026

2 people had minor injuries.

The fatigue failure of the oil cooler cross fitting, which resulted in engine oil starvation and a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the enroute climb to cruise altitude, the low oil pressure warning light activated. The pilot notified air traffic control, received vectors to the nearest airport, and began a descent as the oil pressure continued to decrease. About 3 miles from the airport, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot could not see the airport or runway due to a cloud layer below and elected to deploy the airplane parachute system. The airplane descended under canopy to a four-lane road, where a car impacted the left wing. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed a fatigue fracture of the oil cooler cross fitting, which resulted in oil starvation, internal damage to the crankcase, and a subsequent total loss of engine power. About four months before the accident, the engine manufacturer released a critical service bulletin (CSB) for a known problem pertaining to the oil cooler cross fitting assembly. Although the airplane underwent scheduled maintenance about a month before the accident, the CSB was not completed due to time constraints. Although compliance was not mandatory, it is likely that the accident would have been prevented had the CSB been completed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.