Cirrus Design CORP SR22T accident near Fairland, Indiana, November 22, 2023
On November 22, 2023 at about 9:46 pm local time, a 2019 Cirrus Design CORP SR22T, registered N17DT, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Fairland, Indiana (Shelbyville Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Both pilots’ failure to maintain adequate airspeed during departure from the airport, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack, entering an aerodynamic stall, and impacting terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 22, 2023 · about 9:46 pm local time
- Place
- Fairland, Indiana · Shelbyville Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design CORP SR22T, built 2019
- Registration
- N17DT · registry record · serial 1974
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had planned to fly with a flight instructor on the day of the accident for additional flight experience in the airplane he recently purchased. They flew to the airport where the accident occurred and conducted several takeoffs and landings. During a departure climb from the airport after one of these landings, the airplane slowed and stalled. The airplane descended and impacted a flat, fallow cornfield. Postaccident examination of the airplane along with recorded data revealed no evidence of mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal airplane operation. The recorded data showed that the airplane was near stall speed, and the stall warning had eight activations over a 1-minute period before the airplane descended into terrain. It is unknown whether the pilot, flight instructor, or both were manipulating the airplane’s flight controls leading up to the accident and the reason for the duration of stall warnings over the 1-minute period is unknown. There was no deployment of the airframe parachute. Toxicology results indicate that the pilot had potentially used one or more cannabis products. However, the precise timing of his last cannabis use and whether it was causing significant impairing effects at the time of the accident could not be determined.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 81.4 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,403.8 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 220 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 22, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor TSIO-550-K (piston); 220 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BMG Bloomington IN at 9:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from GEZ, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
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 CEN24FA045.