Cirrus Design Corp SR22 N162AM accident near Knoxville, Tennessee

Probable cause

The pilot’s encounter with a wake vortex from a preceding airplane, which resulted in a roll upset at an altitude too low for recovery. Contributing to the accident was the failure of ATC to issue a wake turbulence cautionary advisory.

NTSB analysis

According to the pilot, the event occurred on final approach when the airplane encountered wake turbulence from a landing Airbus A320. The pilot reported feeling a sudden bump, leading to an extreme roll of approximately 135°. The pilot instinctively applied corrective control inputs and commanded the pilot-rated passenger to pull the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The passenger reached for the handle and pulled it just as they reached a near-level wing attitude with the nose pitched down. The pilot felt the deceleration of the parachute for a couple of seconds before they impacted the ground. A postimpact fire ensued and both occupants evacuated the aircraft. The pilot was seriously injured, and the passenger received fatal injuries.

A review of Air Traffic Control (ATC) communications revealed that all instructions and advisories were acknowledged by the flight crew of the Airbus and the pilot of the Cirrus as appropriate; however, ATC failed to provide a wake turbulence cautionary advisory to the pilot of the Cirrus as required by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order JO 7110.65Z, Air Traffic Control, for simultaneous same runway operations involving a small aircraft landing behind a large aircraft. Although the pilot was aware of the preceding Airbus, the very purpose of this advisory is to remind and emphasize to pilots the potential for dangerous wake encounters.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA22LA089 for the full record.