Cirrus Design CORP SR22 accident near Bastrop, Texas, June 29, 2009
On June 29, 2009 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cirrus Design CORP SR22, registered N220TX, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Bastrop, Texas (None airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's failure to properly verify the fuel load prior to departure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 2009 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bastrop, Texas · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design CORP SR22
- Registration
- N220TX · no longer on the register · serial 2951
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated airline transport pilot said he performed a pre-flight inspection and verified the oil and fuel quantities before departing. However, he was unable to visually verify the amount in the fuel tanks and instead referenced what was last manually programmed into the electronic fuel totalizer on the multi-function display, which was 42 gallons. The pilot crosschecked this amount with the fuel guages and there was a discrepancy, so he added 10 gallons of fuel to each tank. He departed with what he thought was 62 total gallons. As the pilot approached his destination, the fuel annunciator light illuminated. Shortly after this the right tank was "exhausted." He switched to the left tank, and noted 9 gallons remaining. Shortly after, the fuel annunciator illuminated again, and the engine lost total power. He made a forced landing on a narrow road and struck a barbed wire fence which substantially damaged both wings. The fuel tanks and associated plumbing were intact. When power was applied to the airplane, the left fuel guage indicated approximately 2-3 gallons and the right guage indicated 0 gallons. Data downloaded from the primary flight display unit, remote data module, and the multi-function display unit card, along with fueling records, revealed that the airplane departed with approximately 38.2 gallons and not 62 gallons. There would have been approximately 2.6 gallons total on board at the time the engine stopped producing power, which is consistent with the amount of fuel observed on the guages at the accident site.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during emergency descent
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,140 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 2,990 as pilot in command; 2,290 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 22, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 484 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 9, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550-N (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Planesmart Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: HOU Houston TX at 2:30 pm
- Destination: AUS Austin TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from AUS, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.