Cirrus SR22 N6JA

Summary

On 15 October 2023 at about 14:51 local time, a Cirrus SR22 registered N6JA was involved in an accident near Red Oak, Iowa, United States. 2 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

15 October 2023 at 14:51

Classification

Accident

Location

Red Oak, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Red Oak Municipal (KRDK)

Coordinates

41.0108, -95.2589

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22

Registration

N6JA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2013

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Omaha → St Louis

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA011

Nobody was injured.

The fatigue failure of the exhaust valve due to excessive combustion deposits, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to ensure that the required scheduled maintenance was completed.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the engine began to run rough during the cross-country flight, and the pilot diverted to a nearby non-tower-controlled airport, where he flew the RNAV (GPS) approach to runway 5, the airport’s longest runway. During the descent and approach, the air traffic controller informed the pilot that runway 5 was closed; however, the pilot proceeded to land, and the airplane impacted a barricade and ground equipment, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. Examination of the engine found excessive combustion products on the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve. The deposits wore the valve guide, which resulted in the improper seat of the valve, abnormal valve operation, and fatigue failure of the valve face. The excessive combustion product deposits were most likely due to a rich fuel/air mixture, which prevented the cylinder from reaching the temperature required to ensure that lead combustion products were expelled from the cylinder with the exhaust gas. Review of the airplane’s maintenance records revealed that the engine was 15 days overdue for an annual inspection. Had the required inspection had been performed on time, the exhaust valve issues likely would have been discovered before the accident occurred.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.