Cirrus SR22 N5VK

Summary

On 7 January 2017 at about 17:00 local time, a Cirrus SR22 registered N5VK was involved in an accident near Meeker, Colorado, 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

7 January 2017 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Meeker, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

40.0428, -107.1831

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22

Registration

N5VK

Category

Airplane

Year built

2003

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Provo → Colo. Springs

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN17LA073

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power due to fuel contamination from an undetermined source.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot stated that, shortly after reaching cruise altitude on the cross-country flight, engine cylinder head and exhaust gas temperatures displayed on the multifunction display (MFD) became erratic. Since the pilot had previously experienced trouble with the MFD sensory input unit, he reverted to monitoring the analog gauges, which were registering normal temperatures. Shortly thereafter, the engine backfired and the pilot sensed a partial loss of engine power, followed by a further decrease in power. Unable to maintain altitude and realizing he would be unable to reach any nearby airports, the pilot made a forced landing on a snow-covered plateau, resulting in substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed large quantities of water in the wing tanks, which likely accumulated during the time the airplane was on the mountain before recovery and during storage. The airframe fuel gascolator contained a large amount of debris and rust. The gascolator was replaced with a surrogate unit, and a subsequent test run of the engine revealed no anomalies. It is likely that the loss of engine power was the result of fuel contamination; however, the source of the contaminants could not be determined, because fuel samples from the departure airport contained no contaminants.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.