Cirrus SR20 N275RS

Summary

On 1 June 2024 at about 17:18 local time, a Cirrus SR20 registered N275RS was involved in an accident near Aitkin, Minnesota, United States. 3 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 June 2024 at 17:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Aitkin, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Aitkin Muni/Steve Kurtz Fld (AIT)

Coordinates

46.5512, -93.6745

Aircraft

Cirrus SR20

Registration

N275RS

Category

Airplane

Year built

2003

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA207

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in a loss of airplane control during the go-around. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to properly configure the airplane’s flaps during the go-around.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed for a local flight and noted no anomalies during the flight. During the landing with mild wind gusts, the airplane touched down, bounced, and the pilot elected to perform a go-around. The pilot reported that he “followed all procedures to execute the maneuver [and] upon applying full power, the engine didn’t respond resulting in very little power.” The pilot determined the airplane could not properly climb and he initiated an emergency landing by activating the airplane’s parachute system at a low altitude. The airplane came rest upright in swamp vegetation adjacent to the runway and sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. During the attempted go-around, the pilot did not retract the flaps from the 100% extended position to the 50% position as directed in the pilot’s operating handbook. In addition, the airplane’s calculated weight and balance was near the forward center of gravity limit. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine, engine performance data, and a functional engine test revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Based on available evidence, it is likely the airplane’s climb performance was degraded due to inadequate airspeed and failure to retract the wing flaps from the full extended position, which resulted in a loss of airplane control during the go-around.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.