N173CT

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 31, 2019, about 1439 mountain daylight time (MDT), a Cirrus SR-22, N173CT, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Farmington, New Mexico. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The cross-country flight departed Cal Black Memorial Airport (U96), Halls Crossing, Utah, about 1345 with a planned destination of Big Spring Mc Mahon-Wrinkle Airport (KBPG), Big Spring, Texas. According to the pilot's family, he did not have any meetings or appointments that necessitated his return by a specific time, and he had flown the accident route of flight at least a dozen times before and was familiar with the terrain.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data (See Figure 1) revealed the accident airplane depart at 1351 and climb on an eastbound heading. While the target was climbing out of a transponder-reported altitude of 9,125 ft mean sea level (msl), the accident pilot contacted Cedar City Flight Service Station to activate a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan. During that exchange, the briefer asked the pilot if he had the AIRMET advisory for icing and mountain obscuration for the planned route of flight, and the pilot reported that he did.

About 1400, the target had reached 14,000 ft msl, and about that time, the pilot contacted the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZDV) requesting VFR flight following services. The controller issued the airplane a discrete transponder code, and a few minutes later, advised the pilot that he had established radar contact with the airplane and provided the nearest altimeter setting.

By 1409, the airplane had reached its highest altitude of 17,300 ft msl and was about 50 nautical miles southeast of U96. A few minutes later, the target turned left and began to track east. For the next 7 minutes, the track began to slowly transition back to the southeast, after which the pilot was provided and acknowledged a frequency change by the ZDV controller.

At 1428, the airplane was about 24 miles southwest of Four Corners Regional Airport (KFMN), and the controller provided the pilot with the KFMN altimeter setting. About that time, the airplane entered a descent to 9,300 ft.

The controller then provided the pilot with a frequency change, which the pilot read back correctly. No other radio transmissions were received from the pilot, and at 1438:10, the airplane had descended to 8,575 ft msl (about 3,000 ft agl) and began a descending right turn. The radius of the turn was about 3,200 ft, during which the airplane was traveling at about 187 mph. The last recorded return from the airplane occurred 20 seconds later, with the airplane at 6,850 ft msl on a southbound track. The altitudes measured over the last 20 seconds corresponded to a descent rate of about 5,175 ft per minute.

An FAA alert notice (ALNOT) was issued at 1512. A search and rescue mission conducted by the Civil Air Patrol and the New Mexico State Police located the wreckage about 1700.

Figure 1. ADS-B-derived flight track. Final turn inset

PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land, issued in September 2015.

The pilot’s flight logbooks were not recovered; however, at the time of his last FAA medical examination, dated March 28, 2017, he reported 270 total hours flight experience, 64 of which occurred in the previous six months.

Between August 27, 2017, and September 3, 2017, the pilot attended a Cirrus transition training course in Abilene, Texas. The training included 10.9 hours of flight experience in a Cirrus SR22TN equipped with an Avidyne Entegra avionics suite, and 8.5 hours of ground instruction.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe pilot purchased the airplane on July 25, 2017. It was certified for instrument flight rules (IFR) operation, and equipped with Avidyne FlightMax primary and multifunction displays, a Garmin GNS 430, and a set of conventional backup instruments. Additionally, a satellite weather data receiver was included, and the pilot had an active weather package subscription at the time of the accident.

Fueling records provided by a fixed based operator at U96 indicated that the pilot serviced the airplane with the addition of 65.2 gallons of 100 low-lead aviation gasoline at 2217 on the evening of March 29. There was no evidence the airplane had flown between that time and the accident flight.

The airplane was equipped with a “No Hazard” de-ice system, which was designed for inadvertent entry into icing conditions and not certified for flight into known icing conditions. The airplane was equipped with a Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), which had a demonstrated maximum deployment speed of 133 kts indicated airspeed.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONA Bureau of Land Management law enforcement officer who responded to the accident site stated that, upon his arrival skies were clear, but the ground was wet with rain from a shower that had passed through the area a few hours prior.

Surface Observations

The closest official weather observation station to the accident site was located at KFMN, about 33 miles north-northwest at an elevation of 5,506 ft. The station reported VFR conditions throughout the morning of the accident, with light rain and gusting winds to 26 knots observed at 1553, and a peak wind of 29 knots observed at 1528.

Weather Advisories

The National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Predication Center (SPC) issued a Day 1 Convective Outlook at 1030 and 1330, indicating areas of general thunderstorms forecast for the accident site during the accident period. (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2. SPC day 1 Convective Outlook valid at the time of the accident

The NWS Aviation Weather Center issued a convective SIGMET at 1255, which was valid through 1455 along the route of flight. It warned of an area of embedded thunderstorms with tops to 29,000 ft msl with the warning area moving from 330° at 20 knots.

AIRMETs Sierra and Zulu were valid for the route of flight and the accident site at the accident time. The AIRMETs warned of IFR conditions due to precipitation and mist, mountain obscuration conditions due to clouds, precipitation, and mist, and moderate icing between 8,000 ft and 18,000 ft msl.

Upper Air Data

A High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model sounding for the area of the accident site depicted the convective condensation level at 5,067 ft agl (11,186 ft msl) and the lifted condensation level and level of free convection at 5,810 ft agl (11,929 ft msl). The freezing level was located at 8,132 ft msl, and the precipitable water value was 0.29 inches.

The sounding indicated an unstable to conditionally unstable environment from the surface through 19,000 ft, with a lifted index of -4. There was a possibility of clouds from 11,000 ft msl through 14,000 ft msl (about 5,000 ft to 8,000 ft agl). A positive Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) value of 399 Joules/kilogram (J/kg) was indicated on the sounding and the maximum vertical velocity for this atmosphere was calculated as about 5,510 ft per minute. Downdraft CAPE was measured at 85 J/kg. If rain showers or thunderstorms formed in this environment, the 1500 HRRR sounding indicated that the strongest wind speeds possible at the surface (due to, for example, a microburst, outflow boundary, or gust front) would have been from 25 knots to 32 knots, depending on model parameters.

Satellite Data

Visible satellite imagery at 1430 and 1445 indicated a band of cumuliform clouds above the accident site at the accident time. The cloud cover and cumuliform bands were moving from northwest to southeast with the cloud cover increasing in areal coverage with time. The airplanes track flew directly under the cumuliform band. (See Figure 3.)

Figure 3. GOES-16 visible image at 1445

The GOES-16 infrared imagery, along with the 1500 HRRR sounding, indicated approximate cloud top heights over the accident site of 18,000 ft at 1445.

Radar Imagery Information

A regional view of the NWS national composite radar mosaic depicted echoes from 20 to 30 dBZ above the accident site at the accident time. The KABX Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) (located 87 miles southeast of the accident site) base reflectivity values were between 15 and 25 dBZ above the accident site at the accident time. The reflectivity bands were moving from west to east and expanding in areal coverage with time. Based on the radar beam height calculations, the elevation scan depicted the conditions between 11,760 ft and 20,340 ft msl over the accident site but was unable to see the altitudes below and to the ground.

Pilot Weather Awareness

The airplane was equipped with a Garmin GTX-345 ADS-B "In"/"Out" Transponder, and the pilot was using an iPad configured with the ForeFlight "Electronic Flight Bag" application. The ForeFlight application can receive subscription-free, FAA-sourced weather via the GTX-345 using the FAA's Flight Information System-Broadcast network (FIS-B). Weather information provided through FIS-B includes the NEXRAD mosaic map, lightning, turbulence, forecast icing, cloud tops, and airport surface observations. When the application retrieves weather data through the internet, a record of the transaction is logged remotely at the ForeFlight data facility; however, the application's use of FIS-B weather is not logged remotely.

The iPad was recovered from the accident site but sustained significant damage, and its pre-accident operational status could not be determined.

The Avidyne multifunction display was also capable of displaying weather information utilizing the SiriusXM satellite weather service, along with FIS-B weather; however, damage to the unit precluded a confirmation that it was receiving either type of data.

A search of archived ForeFlight information indicated that the pilot requested weat...