N87HK

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On January 13, 2006, at 1557 central standard time (CST), a Cirrus SR22, N87HK, registered to Trench Shoaring Systems Inc., operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 business flight, had an in flight loss of control while climbing in instrument icing flight conditions in the vicinity of Childersburg, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage. The airline transport rated pilot and two passengers reported no injuries. The flight departed Birmingham International Airport, Birmingham, Alabama, enroute to Orlando, Florida, on January 13, 2006, at 1544.

The pilot stated he obtained a full weather briefing before departing Fulton County Airport, Atlanta, Georgia, enroute to Birmingham, Alabama, using the Direct User Access Terminal computer system. Icing conditions were forecast between 8,000 to 16,000 feet. The pilot filed his flight plan for a cruising altitude of 7,000 feet. The pilot stated the airplane is not equipped with de-icing boots or a TKS system, and is not certified for flight into icing conditions. The pilot was not aware of the National Weather Service (NWS) AIRMET Zulu UPT 3, that was in effect from 1445 CST to 2100 CST. The Airmet was transmitted by the NWS and over the XM Satellite Radio installed in the airplane. The advisory warned of occasional moderate to mixed icing-in-clouds and in-precipitation between 3,000 and 8,000 feet.

The pilot stated he departed from runway 24 and was instructed by the control tower to contact Birmingham Approach Control. The pilot contacted approach control and the airplane was identified in radar contact while climbing through 1,500 feet. The controller informed the pilot to proceed direct to Hande intersection and the flight was subsequently cleared to climb to 7,000 feet. The pilot stated the airplane entered the clouds at 5,000 feet and his climb speed was 120 knots. Upon reaching 7,000 feet the airplane encountered icing conditions. The pilot informed the controller he was encountering trace icing conditions at 1553 and requested clearance to climb to 9,000 feet. The controller cleared the pilot as requested and informed him, "cirrus eight seven hotel kilo uhh that's been uhh pretty much the uhh norm all day climb and maintain nine thousand." The pilot entered a 500 foot per minute climb into the autopilot and initiated the climb to 9,000 feet. As the airplane reached the clouds tops at 8,000 feet in visual flight conditions, the airplane began to buffet. The pilot looked at his airspeed indicator and it indicated 80 knots. The airplane stalled, the nose pitched down, and the airplane started spinning to the left while reentering instrument flight conditions. The pilot reduced power, neutralized the flight controls, and applied right rudder with negative results. The pilot activated the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, and the parachute system deployed. The pilot informed the controller at 1557, "Birmingham Approach cirrus eight seven hotel kilo we have uhh experienced icing we have uhh had a stall we're under the parachute we're an emergency situation." The airplane descended to the ground under the parachute canopy, collided with trees, and came to a complete stop about four feet above the ground. All personnel exited the airplane and the 911 emergency operators were contacted on a cell phone. Emergency personnel arrived and the pilot and two passengers were transported to a local area fire department.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

Review of information on file with the FAA Airman's Certification Division, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed the pilot was issued an airline transport pilot certificate on December 15, 2005, with ratings for airplane single engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. The pilot was issued a ground instructor certificate on December 12, 2005. In addition, the pilot was issued a flight instructor certificate on September 15, 2004, with ratings for airplane single engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. The pilot's last biennial flight review was conducted on April 10, 2005. The pilot held a second class medical issued on September 29, 2005, with the restriction "Must wear corrective lenses. Not valid for any class after September 30, 2006." The pilot reported on the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft accident/Incident Report that he had accumulated 12,773 total flight hours of which 681 hours are in the Cirrus SR22, and 617 hours as an instructor pilot in the SR22. In addition, the pilot completed the Cirrus Standardized Instructor Course on March 21, 2005.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

Review of the airplane logbooks revealed the last recorded annual inspection was conducted on October 6, 2005, and the Hobbs time was 544.0 hours. The airplane has flown 61 hours since the last annual inspection. The altimeter, encoder, and static system test were conducted on July 13, 2004.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The closest weather reporting facility to the accident site was from Thomas C. Russell Field, Alexander County, Alabama, located 27 miles southeast of the accident site. The airport has an Automated Weather Observation System without any human augmentation. The 1600 surface weather observation was: wind 280 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 18 knots, winds variable 239 degrees to 299 degrees, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 4,400 feet agl, ceiling overcast at 5,000 feet, temperature 52 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point temperature 39 degrees Fahrenheit, and altimeter 29.80. Remarks: Automated observation system without a precipitation discriminator, lighting distant southeast and south.

The Birmingham International Airport, Birmingham, Alabama, 1553 surface weather observation located 29 miles northwest of the crash site was: wind 270 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 21 knots, visibility 10 miles, ceiling broken at 3,600 feet, overcast at 4,400 feet, temperature 48 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point temperature 37 degrees Fahrenheit, and altimeter 29.83.

The closest upper air sounding or rawinsonde observation (RAOB) was from the NWS at 1800 CST for Shelby County Airport (KBMX), Alabama, site number 72230, located approximately 18 miles west of the accident site. The sounding indicated several low-level temperature inversions layers where temperature increased with altitude, the first was at the surface to 598 feet, and the second layer was between 8,500 to 9,658 feet. The freezing level was identified at 4,000 feet and supported icing conditions from the freezing level to approximately 9,000 feet where relative humidity exceeded 75 percent.

The Geostationary Operations Environmental Satellite number 12 (GOES-12) data was obtained from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) and displayed on the National Transportation Safety Board's Man-computer Interactive Data Access System (McIDAS) workstation. The GOES-12 infrared image for 1602 CST on January 13, 2006, depicted a band of enhanced cumulus clouds extending from South Carolina southwestward into Georgia, northern Florida, and into the Gulf of Mexico. Behind the convective band was an area of low stratiform form clouds extending across Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and into Kentucky. The accident site was obscured by the low stratiform cloud cover, which had a radiative cloud top temperature of 264.90 degrees Kelvin (K) or -8.26 degrees C over the accident site, which corresponded to cloud tops near 8,500 feet. An overcast layer of stratiform clouds to stratocumulus clouds extended over central Alabama, which supported light rime type icing in clouds.

At 1445 CST the NWS Aviation Weather Center issued AIRMET Zulu update 3 for icing and freezing level data, which was valid until 2100 CST. This was the initial issuance of this AIRMET that extended over portions of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. The advisory warned of occasional moderate to mixed icing-in-clouds and in-precipitation between 3,000 and 8,000 feet. The conditions were expected to end by 2100 CST west of Dyersburg, Tennessee (DYR), Sidon, Mississippi (SQS), to La Grange, Georgia (LGC), and continue elsewhere and end by 0300 CST. The departure airport and accident site were located within the boundaries of this advisory.

AIRMET Tango update 3 was also current at 1445 CST through 2100 CST for turbulence over portions of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and coastal waters. The advisory warned of occasional moderate turbulence below 8,000 feet due to strong low-level winds. The conditions were expected to continue beyond 2100 CST through 0000 CST. The accident site was also within the boundaries of this advisory.

Several pilot reports (PIREPs) were obtained over Alabama surrounding the period of the accident. The reports are as follows and are in standard format:

Montgomery (MGM) routine pilot report (UA); Over - 25 miles south of Selma (SEM); Time - 1915Z; Flight level - unknown; Type aircraft - Beechcraft Bonanza single engine airplane (BE36); Turbulence - moderate to severe between 7,000 and 4,000 feet; Remarks - instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).

Tuscaloosa (TCL) routine pilot report (UA); Over - 20 miles southeast of Tuscaloosa (TCL); Time - 2012Z; Flight level - 7,000 feet; Type aircraft - Beechcraft King Air multiengine turboprop (BE20); Icing - light rime type icing from 7,000 to 5,000 feet.

Huntsville (HSV) routine pilot report (UA); Over - Huntsville (HSV); Time - 2027Z; Flight level - 7,000 feet; Type aircraft - Embraer regional Jet (E135); Sky cover - broken at 3,500 feet with tops at 6,000 feet; Wind - from 270 degrees at 50 knots; Icing - trace.

Anniston (ANB) routine pilot report (UA); Over - 40 miles south of Huntsville (HSV); Time - 2020Z; Flight level - 12,000 feet; Type aircraft - Canadair regional jet (CRJ); Turbulence - moderate from 16,000 to 12,000 feet; Remarks - from Memphis Center (ZME).

Huntsville (HSV) ro...