Cirrus SR22 N162AM

Summary

On 16 December 2021 at about 15:07 local time, a Cirrus SR22 registered N162AM was involved in an accident near Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 December 2021 at 15:07

Classification

Accident

Location

Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Mc Ghee Tyson (TYS)

Coordinates

35.8338, -83.8602

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22

Registration

N162AM

Category

Airplane

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA089

1 person died.

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.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.