Cirrus Design CORP SR22 accident near Langola Township, Minnesota, September 7, 2014
On September 7, 2014 at about 6:36 pm local time, a 2002 Cirrus Design CORP SR22, registered N22WX, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Langola Township, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Maintenance personnel’s failure to apply sufficient torque on the throttle control lever nut, which resulted in a loss of throttle control and subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 2014 · about 6:36 pm local time
- Place
- Langola Township, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design CORP SR22, built 2002
- Registration
- N22WX · registry record · serial 0281
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a cross-country personal flight. He reported that, during cruise flight, the airspeed began to decrease, and the engine began to lose power. The pilot attempted to restore engine power but was not successful. He then conducted a forced landing to a road. During the landing roll, the pilot maneuvered the airplane to miss an oncoming car, and the airplane subsequently struck a guy wire, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the throttle control lever nut was not torqued to factory specifications in accordance with an engine manufacturer service bulletin (SB). The knurl teeth of both the throttle control lever and shaft displayed signatures of machining with adhesive wear scars on the surfaces. In addition, the surface of the control lever that the nut was normally secured to displayed scoring wear scars. The surface signatures were consistent with the throttle control lever nut not having been properly torqued. A review of the engine logbook entries revealed that a rebuilt engine was installed on the airplane about 73.1 flight hours before the accident. The mechanics at the repair station who installed the engine, which would have included installing the throttle body and torqueing the throttle control lever nut, reported that they were knowledgeable of the manufacturer SB, and no discrepancies in their procedures were found. Even though the mechanics reported that they were familiar with the SB, it is likely that they did not apply sufficient torque on the throttle control lever nut during the installation of the engine.
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
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel controlling system › Incorrect service/maintenance
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Failure
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Installation › Maintenance personnel
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,242 hours in all; 1,390 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 2,170 as pilot in command; 145 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 17, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,276.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 2014; 73 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550-N7B (piston); 73 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKT Mankato MN at 5:57 pm
- Destination: 8MN3 Breezy Point MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 1:39 pm from KSTC, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN14LA486.