Cirrus SR22 N167CB

Summary

On 2 April 2017 at about 22:28 local time, a Cirrus SR22 registered N167CB, operated by The Flight Academy, was involved in an accident near Brinnon, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 April 2017 at 22:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Brinnon, Washington, United States

Coordinates

47.6922, -123.2219

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22

Registration

N167CB

Category

Airplane

Year built

2004

Engines

1

Operator

The Flight Academy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Langley → Bremerton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR17LA084

2 people were seriously injured.

The flight instructor's decision to fly into a valley without ensuring adequate clearance to avoid the rising terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and student pilot departed on a planned 3-hour instructional flight. While en route, the flight instructor stated that he wanted to show the student that there was more to flying than just training and that flying was also "fun." The pilots subsequently turned the airplane toward a large river valley in mountainous terrain. The pilots flew into an area of rapidly rising terrain and realized they needed to climb to avoid terrain. The flight instructor applied full power and pitched the airplane up into a climb; however, the terrain rose faster than the airplane was climbing. The flight instructor instructed the student pilot to start a right turn. Shortly thereafter, he felt the turn was too slow, and he took control of the airplane. The flight instructor stated that things were happening too fast for him to recover the airplane. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain in a box canyon, with ridgelines between 100 feet to several hundred feet higher than the accident site. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.