Cirrus SR22 N21EU

Summary

On 1 March 2022 at about 22:30 local time, a Cirrus SR22 registered N21EU was involved in an accident near The Hammocks, Florida, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 March 2022 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

The Hammocks, Florida, United States

Coordinates

25.6083, -80.5253

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22

Registration

N21EU

Category

Airplane

Year built

2021

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Miami → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA151

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain an appropriate altitude above obstacles, which resulted controlled flight into a powerline.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated he was flying about 700 ft above ground level (AGL), then noticed that the airplane had descended “well below 500 ft.” He could see a pump station ahead with powerlines crossing the waterway and stated, “I’m too low.” He was traveling about 170 kts when he pulled back to climb and heard a “thud.” The airplane continued flying, but the pilot had limited rudder control. He returned to the departure airport and landed uneventfully; however, he noticed that the rudder was missing from the airplane. He stated that he looked up the pump station address and drove over to find the rudder laying in the grass near the powerlines. The rudder had impacted the powerline and separated from the airplane, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported that the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.