Cirrus Design CORP SR22 accident near Bennett, Colorado, January 30, 2011
On January 30, 2011 at about 12:58 pm local time, a Cirrus Design CORP SR22, registered N787CB, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Bennett, Colorado (Front Range Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during an instrument approach due to spatial disorientation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 2011 · about 12:58 pm local time
- Place
- Bennett, Colorado · Front Range Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design CORP SR22
- Registration
- N787CB · registry record · serial 0787
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was practicing night instrument approaches in visual flight rules conditions. During the accident approach, he said he was in a right turn and had turned his head to the right to look at some instrumentation. He felt the airplane accelerate and looked at his flight displays, which indicated he was in an extreme unusual attitude, possibly inverted. He attempted to recover from the unusual attitude but realized that he had severe vertigo and spatial disorientation, so he activated the airplane’s ballistic parachute recovery system. After the parachute deployed, the airplane struck terrain in a nose low attitude, sustaining substantial damage. Postaccident inspection of the airplane disclosed no preimpact mechanical problems with the airplane. Federal Aviation Administration guidance indicates, that if neither horizon nor surface references exist, the attitude of an airplane must be determined by artificial means from the flight instruments. However, during periods of low visibility and night conditions, the supporting senses sometimes conflict with what is seen; when this happens, a pilot is particularly vulnerable to disorientation.
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 control in flight during approach defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusio › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Contributed to outcome
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,740 hours in all; 1,042 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,715 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 22, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,754 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, October 12, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APA Englewood CO at 12:30 pm
- Destination: FTG Watkins CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from KFTG, 1526 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.