Cirrus SR20 N255JB

Summary

On 24 February 2017 at about 11:39 local time, a Cirrus SR20 registered N255JB was involved in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 February 2017 at 11:39

Classification

Accident

Location

Daytona Beach, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Spruce Creek (7FL6)

Coordinates

29.0708, -81.0708

Aircraft

Cirrus SR20

Registration

N255JB

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Daytona Beach → Lumberton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

ERA17LA113

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions (fog) during initial climb, which resulted in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The instrument-rated private pilot had filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan for the cross-country flight, but intended to depart under visual flight rules conditions and open his IFR flight plan shortly after takeoff. He stated that, during the preflight inspection, he did not see any low clouds and was able to see stars above him. The airplane departed shortly before sunrise, and the pilot stated that, while retracting the flaps after takeoff, he encountered low-level fog about 300 ft agl and the airplane entered instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot made a right turn to avoid the final approach course to the opposite runway, then saw a tree and attempted to avoid impacting it; he then recalled waking up in the airplane on the ground. Weather conditions near the accident site about the time of the accident included scattered clouds at 500 ft and a visibility of 6 miles in mist. The series of events described by the pilot was consistent with a loss of control due to spatial disorientation, likely due to the unexpected loss of visibility during the initial climb.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.