Probable cause
The student pilot’s loss of control and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial reaction which resulted in a spin.
NTSB analysis
While practicing power-off stalls during an instructional flight, the student pilot was flying when the airplane entered a spin to the right. The flight instructor attempted remedial action but was unable to recover from the spin. The flight instructor pulled the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) handle about 2,800 ft msl. The CAPS system deployed the parachute, and the airplane descended to the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the composite fuselage from the firewall aft to the CAPS rocket/parachute exit area, and the rudder spar. There were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN24LA230 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jun 19, 2024
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Litchfield, Michigan
- Nearest airport
- (N/A)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cirrus Design Corp SR20
- N-number
- N154WF
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2006
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.