Cirrus Design Corp SR22 N592BC accident near Gordonville, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to properly configure the mixture control for landing due to disorientation because he had the airport diagram upside down, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot stated that he had "disoriented" himself by holding the airport diagram "upside down" as the airplane approached the destination airport. Once oriented, he turned the airplane onto the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, noticed the airplane was "high," and disconnected the autopilot. During the final approach, the airplane was descending rapidly, and the pilot added power to complete the landing. However, nothing happened because he had not properly set the mixture control, which resulted in a loss of engine power once he advanced the throttle. With little time and altitude remaining, the pilot was unable to regain engine power before the airplane struck the ground about 1/2 mile from the runway threshold. A postaccident test-run and examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA17LA201 for the full record.