Cirrus SR22 N849CD

Summary

On 17 October 2015 at about 00:40 local time, a Cirrus SR22 registered N849CD, operated by Ataee Mahmood, was involved in an accident near Lancaster, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 October 2015 at 00:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Lancaster, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Lancaster Rgnl (LNC)

Coordinates

32.5589, -96.6997

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22

Registration

N849CD

Category

Airplane

Year built

2002

Engines

1

Operator

Ataee Mahmood

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Waxahachie → Lancaster

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN16LA016

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper glidepath during a night visual approach, which resulted in impact with a power line. Contributing to the accident was an inoperative precision approach path indicator.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that he was flying a night visual pattern to a nontowered airport. Due to another airplane on final approach, the pilot extended the downwind leg to create spacing. While on the extended final in a rural area with low lighting, the pilot descended the airplane well below a proper glidepath to the runway and struck an unlit high-voltage power line located about 1 mile from the runway. After feeling a jolt, the passenger deployed the airframe's parachute system. The airplane subsequently became suspended in a second set of power lines, and the pilot and passenger safely egressed the airplane. At the time of the accident, the precision approach path indicators (PAPI) for both runways were inoperative due to maintenance. A notice to airmen (NOTAM) for the PAPI closure was active at the time of the accident, and the pilot was aware of the NOTAM. The dark conditions and extended final likely created a visual illusion in which the pilot thought he was higher than he was; without an operative PAPI, the pilot had limited external references to assist him in maintaining a proper glidepath during the approach.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.