N811CD

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 6, 2014, about 1800 eastern standard time, a Cirrus Design Corporation SR22 airplane, N811CD, impacted a farm field near Grover Hill, Ohio, and a post impact fire occurred. The pilot, a pilot-rated passenger, and another passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was destroyed by the impact and subsequent fire. The airplane was registered to and operated by Orthopedic Aviation Services LLC under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Night instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions prevailed in the area of the accident. The flight operated on an activated IFR flight plan. The flight originated about 1545 from the Washington Municipal Airport (AWG), near Washington, Iowa, and was destined for the Findlay Airport (FDY), near Findlay, Ohio.

A fueling receipt from AWG showed that N811CD was serviced with 26.67 gallons of 100 low lead aviation gasoline at 1519. The AWG airport manager indicated that he was at the airport at 1530 and he talked to three people who flew in N811CD. There were two men and a woman of the same age. He reported that they said they were flying east and would be back on Sunday as part of their return flight. Witnesses reported to the airport manager that they thought the woman was seated in the front right seat. The manager indicated that from 300 feet away, the airplane looked very clean. He was outside when they took off and the engine start-up sounded normal as did the engine run-up. The manager said that the takeoff appeared to be under full power and they climbed at a normal rate of climb.

According to records from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the accident airplane communicated with the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) located near Ft. Wayne, Indiana. About 1729, the pilot requested a climb to 10 or 11 thousand feet above mean seal level (MSL) because he was "picking up a little ice". The air traffic controller cleared the flight to 10,000 feet MSL, and asked for more details. The pilot reported that the windshield was picking up a little ice, and the outside air temperature was minus six degrees. About 1746, the pilot reported that the cloud tops were ragged between 9,500 and 10,300 feet MSL. About 1749, the pilot requested a lower altitude and the controller cleared the flight to 5,000 feet MSL. About 1751, the controller handed the flight off to Toledo TRACON.

About 1752, the pilot checked on with Toledo TRACON and indicated that he was on descent to 5,000 feet. The controller asked if the pilot had the current FDY weather. About 1754, the pilot reported that he had the current FDY weather and requested the RNAV [Area Navigation] Runway 25 approach to FDY. The controller advised the pilot to expect that RNAV approach. The last radio transmission from the airplane restated that the RNAV Runway 25 approach was requested and that transmission was received about 1754. The last transponder reply was about 1757, which indicated the airplane was at 3,600 feet MSL. That transponder reply showed the airplane was located to the south and east of the intersection of Route 60 and Town Road 137, near Grover Hill, Ohio.

A witness was driving in her car eastbound on Route 60 and was approaching Town Road 117. This intersection was about three miles west of the accident site. She indicated that she was driving about 45 to 50 mph. It was dark at the time and "spit" rain was coming down. She said that she could see through the car's windshield. She stated that above woods just south of Route 60, she saw a light coming down slowly. She described it as looking similar to a comet. The descent angle she physically gestured while being interviewed was about 35 to 45 degrees downward in the direction of the accident site. She said she saw the descending light for about two seconds. She subsequently saw an explosion, which was orange in color.

Another witness was in a house about a third of a mile northwest of the accident site. She indicated that a heavy wind or tornado sound is what got her attention. She also heard a sound she vocally described as "NEEEEER." She saw a reflection of light in a mirror. An explosion occurred when the NEEEEER sound stopped. She said that the conditions at that time were windy, dark, and rainy. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe 59-year-old pilot held a FAA private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land and instrument ratings. He had been issued a FAA third-class medical certificate on October 15, 2014, with a limitation that he must have available glasses for near vision. The pilot reported on the application for that medical certificate that he had accumulated 987 hours of total flight time and 150 hours of flight time in the six months before that application.

The last entry in the pilot's logbook was dated November 5, 2014. The pilot recorded that he had accumulated 1,000.3 hours of total flight time, 151.5 hours of flight time during night conditions, 127.8 hours of flight time in SR22 airplanes, and 19.3 hours of flight time in actual instrument conditions. A certified flight instructor's endorsement in the pilot's logbook showed that the pilot received a flight review on August 16, 2014.

The 65-year-old pilot rated passenger held a FAA commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land, airplane multiengine land, and instrument airplane ratings. He also held a FAA flight instructor certificate with airplane single-engine and instrument airplane ratings. He had been issued a FAA second-class medical certificate on April 21, 2014. This medical certificate was issued to the pilot rated passenger as a Time-limited Special Issuance Second Class Medical Certificate with the following limitation(s): "Not Valid for Any Class After 04/30/2015" and "Must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision." He reported on the application for that special issuance medical certificate that he had accumulated 5,016 hours of total flight time and 160 hours of flight time in the six months prior to that application. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONN811CD, a 2001 model Cirrus Design Corporation SR22, serial number 0120, was a four-place single engine low-wing airplane powered by a six-cylinder, 310-horsepower, Continental Motors model IO-550-N7B engine, with serial number 686224, that drove a three-bladed Hartzell constant speed propeller. According to airplane logbook entries, an annual inspection was completed on October 8, 2014. The airplane accumulated 1806.2 hours of total flight time at the time of that inspection.

A FAA Inspector reported that the airplane was modified with a LoPresti Aviation BoomBeam landing light system in November of 2013. The installed 60-watt BoomBeam bulb emitted a 2,990 lumen output.

The airplane was fitted with a Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) designed to recover the airplane and its occupants to the ground in the event of an in-flight emergency. The CAPS contains a parachute (within a deployment bag) located within a fiberglass CAPS enclosure compartment, a solid-propellant rocket contained within a launch tube to deploy the parachute, a pick-up collar assembly and attached Teflon-coated steel cable lanyard and incremental bridle, a rocket activation system that consisted of an activation T-handle, an activation cable, and a rocket igniter, and a harness assembly which attached the parachute to the fuselage.

The accident airplane was not equipped nor certified for flight in icing conditions. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONA National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) senior meteorologist collected factual weather data in reference to the accident flight and produced a group chairman's factual weather report. The report showed that the accident pilot was provided weather information from Lockheed-Martin Flight Service through the ForeFlight.com website. He also filed an IFR flight plan for a direct flight from AWG to FDY. The pilot also requested a standard text weather briefing format. Standard weather information for the accident flight, to include the airmen's meteorological information (AIRMETs), area forecast (FA), meteorological terminal air reports (METARs), terminal aerodrome forecasts (TAFs), and pilot reports (PIREPs), was contained in the text weather briefing package. Meteorological Impact Statements (MIS) were not contained in the weather briefing information package. There is no record of any additional weather briefing information the accident pilot received.

A review of the 1900 surface analysis chart showed that it depicted a surface trough stretching from central New York westward across northern Pennsylvania, northern Ohio, and central Indiana. Constant pressure charts depicted a low-level trough over or just to the northwest of the accident site around the accident time with temperatures below freezing.

At 1753, the recorded weather about 38 miles and 93 degrees from the accident site at FDY was: Wind 260 degrees at 10 knots; visibility 3 statute miles; present weather mist; sky condition overcast clouds at 600 feet; temperature 7 degrees C; dew point 6 degrees C; altimeter 29.81 inches of mercury.

At 1753, the recorded weather about 18 miles and 10 degrees from the accident site at the Defiance Memorial Airport, near Defiance, Ohio, (DFI) was: Wind 280 degrees at 8 knots: visibility 6 statute miles; present weather light rain, mist; sky condition overcast ceiling at 1,000 feet; temperature 8 degrees C; dew point 6 degrees C; altimeter 29.81 inches of mercury.

At 1853, the recorded weather at DFI was: Wind 320 degrees at 15 knots with gusts to 20 knots; visibility 9 statute miles; present weather light rain; sky condition overcast ceiling at 1,100 feet; temperature 8 degrees C; dew point 6 degrees C; altimeter setting 29.87 inches of mercury.

The 1900 Wilmington, Ohio, (KILN) upper air sounding was plotted. The plotted sounding depicted the lifted condensation level at 1,502 feet, a convective condensation level of 2,...