Cirrus Design Corp SR22 N587CD accident near Port Aransas, Texas

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the go-around, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.

NTSB analysis

Following the local flight, the pilot was approaching the airport for landing. Witnesses noted that the airplane was “low and slow” on the approach and almost touched down short of the runway. Before landing, the pilot appeared to initiate a go-around; the engine power increased, the airplane’s nose pitched up sharply, the left wing dropped, the engine power decreased, and the airplane impacted the ground inverted in a nose-low angle in front of a row of hangers adjacent to the runway.

Video recorded by the front-seat passenger captured the accident flight and impact sequence. About 8 seconds before the impact, the video showed the flap selector switch in the UP (0%) position. About 5 seconds before the impact, the video and audio captured an increase in engine rpm, followed by a left roll, an immediate decrease in engine rpm, and impact with terrain in a left-wing low attitude.

Data downloaded from the airplane’s primary flight display showed that just prior to the accident, the airplane’s nose pitched to about 22o, as the airplane rolled to the left and then descended rapidly with a pitch of 30o nose down. The airspeed at the time the data ended was 71 knots. The left roll continued until the data ended.

The airplane was destroyed during the impact sequence. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot’s operating handbook for the airplane, normal landings should be made with the flaps fully extended.

Based on the cell phone video, witness observations, and the accident site evidence, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain proper airspeed during a go-around, which resulted in the exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low to recover.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN21FA199 for the full record.