Cirrus SR20 N314BF

Summary

On 13 August 2016 at about 15:01 local time, a Cirrus SR20 registered N314BF, operated by Alidade Partners, LLC, was involved in an accident near Des Moines, Iowa, United States. 4 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 August 2016 at 15:01

Classification

Accident

Location

Des Moines, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Des Moines International Arpt (DSM)

Coordinates

41.5556, -93.6914

Aircraft

Cirrus SR20

Registration

N314BF

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

Alidade Partners, LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Des Moines → Lebanon

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16LA320

3 people had minor injuries.

The two separations in the induction system due to improper installation and/or maintenance, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power during initial climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and three passengers departed on a personal cross-country flight when the pilot heard and felt a sudden reduction in engine power during initial climb. He told the tower controller that he had engine trouble and requested an immediate landing. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and, as a result, deployed the airplane's emergency parachute system. After a successful parachute deployment, the airplane contacted power lines shortly before it impacted the ground in a nose-level attitude. After the airplane landed, the occupants egressed, and a fire erupted that destroyed the airframe. A postaccident engine examination revealed that the induction tube coupler closest to the No. 1 cylinder was partially disconnected from its associated induction tube. Although both coupler clamps were tight, the clamp closest to the No. 1 cylinder did not overlap its associated induction tube. Additionally, the cylinder No. 3 induction tube was fractured at the cylinder mounting flange. A laboratory examination of the cylinder No. 3 induction tube revealed multiple areas of fatigue; however, the cause of the fatigue could not be conclusively determined due to postfracture damage. The material properties of the induction tube were consistent with the manufacturer's specification for an annealed aluminum alloy. A review of the engine logbook was inconclusive as to whether the induction system tubes had been removed for maintenance in the 7.4 years since the engine had been rebuilt. The two separations in the induction system likely caused an imbalance of the intake pressures and the partial loss of engine power during initial climb.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.