Cirrus SR22T N289CM

Summary

On 15 October 2017 at about 16:00 local time, a Cirrus SR22T registered N289CM was involved in an accident near Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. 3 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

15 October 2017 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Tuskegee, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Moton Field Muncipal Airport (06A)

Coordinates

32.4606, -85.6800

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22T

Registration

N289CM

Category

Airplane

Year built

2010

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tuskegee → Millington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC18LA004

Nobody was injured.

An improperly adjusted slope controller and fuel pump that resulted in an excessively high fuel flow, an extremely rich mixture, a rough-running engine, and a subsequent partial loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that shortly after takeoff, during the initial climb, he sensed the airplane slow down and the climb rate diminish. A witness reported seeing grey smoke being emitted from the airplane's exhaust. Realizing that the engine had lost partial power, the pilot chose a sod field as an off-airport landing site. During the forced landing, the airplane's landing gear collapsed, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. A postaccident examination, which included an engine run, revealed that when the throttle was advanced through a manifold pressure of about 36 inches of mercury (inHg), the fuel flow exceeded the engine manufacturer's full throttle high-side limit. Continued movement of the throttle resulted in a manifold pressure of about 39 inHg before the engine began experiencing fuel flows that were too excessive to support combustion. The slope controller was adjusted to reduce manifold pressure to that specified by Cirrus, and the engine test run continued with high fuel flows. After the manifold pressure adjustment, the engine throttle was rapidly advanced multiple times from idle to full throttle without any hesitation, stumbling, or interruption in power. Thus, it is likely that the improperly adjusted slope controller and fuel pump resulted in an excessively high fuel flow, an extremely rich mixture, a rough-running engine, and a partial loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.