Cirrus SR22 accident near Childersburg, Alabama, January 13, 2006
On January 13, 2006 at about 9:57 pm local time, a Cirrus SR22, registered N87HK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Childersburg, Alabama. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, failure to obtain a current weather briefing, and his decision to operate the airplane into a known area of icing outside the airplanes certification standards resulting in the aircraft accumulating ice, a loss of airspeed, an inadvertent stall/spin and subsequent collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 13, 2006 · about 9:57 pm local time
- Place
- Childersburg, Alabama
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus SR22 · all SR22s on the register
- Registration
- N87HK · registry record · serial 296
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot obtained a full Direct User Access Terminal (DUATS) the night before the accident. The briefing was not valid for the time of the accident. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued AIRMET Zulu update 3 for icing and freezing level data valid from 1445 CST until 2100 CST. The advisory warned of occasional moderate to mixed icing-in-clouds and in precipitation between 3,000 to 8,000 feet. The departure airport and the accident site were within the boundaries of the advisory. The pilot requested an abbreviated DUATS weather briefing at 1244 EST for his route of flight between Birmingham, Alabama, and Orlando, Florida. The in-flight advisories were to expire at 1500 CST. The briefing provided several adverse weather phenomena impacting the route of flight from icing, turbulence, and thunderstorms. The pilot stated he was not aware of AIRMET ZULU UPT 3, that was issued by the NWS before he departed Birmingham. The airplane was equipped with an XM Satellite radio. The AIRMET was transmitted by the NWS and over the XM radio installed in the airplane. The airplane is not certified for flights into icing conditions. The pilot stated the flight departed from runway 24 and he contacted the air traffic controller on the radio. The airplane was identified by radar and the pilot was instructed to climb to 7,000 feet direct to Hande intersection. The airplane entered the clouds at 5,000 feet on autopilot climbing at 120 knots. Upon reaching 7,000 feet the airplane encountered icing conditions. The pilot informed the controller that he would like to climb to 9,000 feet which was approved. As the airplane reached the cloud tops in visual flight conditions at 8,000 feet the airplane began to buffet. The pilot looked at his airspeed indicator and it indicated 80 knots. The airplane stalled, entered a spin back into instrument flight conditions. The pilot deployed the ballistic parachute system and informed the air traffic controller of his actions. The airplane descended under the parachute canopy into the trees..
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,773 hours in all; 681 in this make and model; 285 in the last 90 days; 64 in the last 30 days; 12,753 as pilot in command; 10,665 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 605 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2005; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO550-N7B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BHM Birmingham AL at 9:44 pm
- Destination: ORL Orlando FL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 4,400 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 pm from ALX, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.