Cirrus SR22 N220MT accident near Upland, California

Probable cause

The pilot's exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering for landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.

NTSB analysis

Radar data indicated that, when the accident airplane was about 1 nautical mile southwest of the airport, another airplane entered a left downwind leg for the landing runway. The first airplane was on the base leg of the traffic pattern when the accident airplane entered the left downwind. The accident airplane's speed slowly decreased as it continued the downwind leg, and the first airplane landed when the accident airplane was turning toward the base leg at about 69 knots groundspeed. Shortly thereafter, the airplane descended and impacted a residential area about 1/2 mile from the runway threshold.

A witness saw the accident airplane enter the traffic pattern shortly behind the first airplane. As the first airplane landed, the accident airplane was on base to final flying “low and very slow,” like it was “waiting for” the first airplane. The left wing dropped, and the airplane descended to the ground.

Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the available information, the accident is consistent with the pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering for landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, loss of control, and impact with terrain. It is possible that the pilot may have been distracted by the airplane landing in front of him, which contributed to his loss of situation awareness regarding the airplane’s speed.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR20FA019 for the full record.