Cirrus Design CORP SR22 accident near Granbury, Texas, August 24, 2025
On August 24, 2025 at about 11:54 pm local time, a 2005 Cirrus Design CORP SR22, registered N376CD, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Granbury, Texas. It was a personal 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
The pilot’s inadequate fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 2025 · about 11:54 pm local time
- Place
- Granbury, Texas · 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, built 2005
- Registration
- N376CD · registry record · serial 1425
- 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 the purpose of the flight was to continue the new engine break-in process. He departed with 46 total gallons of fuel but did not know the exact amount in each tank. During the flight he switched fuel tanks at a fuel consumption interval of 10 gallons. As he turned back toward the airport, he noted 14 gallons in the right tank and 4.5 gallons in the left tank. He intended to utilize the left tank until he started a descent, at which time he would switch to the right tank. About 18 miles from the airport, he felt the airplane decelerate so he turned on the fuel boost pump, and advanced the mixture and throttle controls, but did not switch fuel tanks. He diverted to a nearby airport but was unable to reach it, so he activated the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The airplane descended to the ground under the parachute canopy and landed hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. He added that he forgot to switch fuel tanks as he had intended and exhausted the fuel in the left tank. Postaccident examination revealed 14 gallons of fuel in the right tank, which was breached, and trace amounts of fuel in the left tank, which remained intact.
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
- Fuel starvation during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,921.4 hours in all; 2,293.6 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 12, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,921.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors IO-550-N43B (piston); 11 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FWS Fort Worth TX at 9:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 5,201 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from KGDJ, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on September 26, 2025. 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, 15 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Correspondence - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record A�� Recovery Company | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.