Cirrus Design CORP SR20 accident near Indianapolis, Indiana, January 24, 2023
On January 24, 2023 at about 8:39 pm local time, a 2016 Cirrus Design CORP SR20, registered N99EC, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Indianapolis, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s intentional flight into terrain as an act of suicide.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 24, 2023 · about 8:39 pm local time
- Place
- Indianapolis, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design CORP SR20, built 2016
- Registration
- N99EC · registry record · serial 2307
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane, rented by the pilot, departed on a reported short cross-country flight. Flight track data showed that after takeoff, the airplane climbed to an altitude of about 1,000 ft above ground level and traveled southeast. Near the end of the flight, the airplane performed a 360° turn and began a rapid descent. The highly fragmented wreckage was located adjacent to a railroad track in a residential area. The airplane damage was consistent with a high angle and high energy impact with terrain. Examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. Following a death investigation, the coroner classified the manner of death as a suicide.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Miscellaneous › Intentional act › Suicide › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 219.5 hours in all; 197.5 in this make and model; 32.8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,532.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 21, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 3,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-360-ES 26B (piston); 2,565 hours total
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from KIND, 7 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KIND 242054Z 23003KT 10SM FEW030 OVC250 06/M02 A3014 RMK AO2 SLP212 T00611022 56024=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on April 27, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Track | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | ADS-B Data | data file | Download |
| 4 | Autopsy Memo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Accident Site Photograph | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation - Cirrus | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 CEN23LA093.