Cirrus SR22 N217CE

Summary

On 22 November 2016 at about 16:42 local time, a Cirrus SR22 registered N217CE was involved in an accident near Bluefield, West Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 November 2016 at 16:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Bluefield, West Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Mercer County (BLF)

Coordinates

37.2958, -81.2075

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22

Registration

N217CE

Category

Airplane

Year built

2011

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bluefield → Hilton Head Island

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA063

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the aborted takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot stated that, during the takeoff roll, the engine was not producing full power and the airspeed was fluctuating, so he chose to abort the takeoff. He reduced power and applied full braking, but the left wing became airborne, and the right wing struck the runway. The airplane veered right, and the propeller struck a grassy area. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the right wing and the engine mounts. Postaccident engine examination found that the engine's magneto timing was set incorrectly; no other evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operation. During a subsequent test-run of the engine with the magneto timing set to its preaccident state, the engine started immediately and ran continuously at all power settings without interruption. Performance data downloaded from the on-board recording devices revealed that the pilot did not add full power until the airplane was about 15% down the runway. The engine performance data also revealed that associated engine parameters moved in response to rpm increases and decreases. Although the pilot reported that the engine was not producing full rpm and that the airspeed was fluctuating during the attempted takeoff, the recorded performance data revealed that the engine was achieving close to full power, and there was no evidence of a power loss. Further, the airspeed was sufficient for takeoff with no fluctuations noted before the pilot chose to gradually reduce power. Therefore, given the evidence, it is likely that the engine and airplane were functioning adequately before the pilot decided to abort the takeoff. After the pilot decided to abort the takeoff, he failed to maintain directional control of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.