Cirrus Design Corporation SR22 accident near Wagner, South Dakota, February 6, 2006
On February 6, 2006 at about 7:24 pm local time, a Cirrus Design Corporation SR22, registered N751CD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wagner, South Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining airplane control and the inadvertent stall encountered during the climb. A factor was the instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 6, 2006 · about 7:24 pm local time
- Place
- Wagner, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design Corporation SR22 · all SR22s on the register
- Registration
- N751CD · no longer on the register · serial 0044
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane, piloted by an instrument rated private pilot, sustained substantial damage on impact with terrain following an in-flight loss of control during climb in instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot stated, "The flight plan was entered on the GPS [Global Positioning System] direct to function. Took off on runway 26 at about 1320 and a right turning climb was made to the east. When we were heading in the general direction and a climb was established, I place the plane on autopilot. I switched the frequency to 128.0 and immediately heard the frequency buzzing and saw the radio was in the RX mode and would not quit, my first distraction. I contacted Minneapolis center and reported a 3700 ft altitude and climbing, they replied to report back at 7000 or 9000 ft, I don't remember. I then noticed that the autopilot had me in a left hand standard rate turn, even though I was heading east at the time the autopilot was engaged, my next distraction. I then took over the controls to try to get up to the required altitude. In doing so I obviously misread the vertical speed indicator and eventually got the plane into a stall, then into a spin that I could not recover from. At that moment the parachute was engaged and we floated safely to the ground." An examination of the wreckage revealed no pre-impact anomalies.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 804 hours in all; 166 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 784 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 935.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-550-N7 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AGZ Wagner SD at 7:15 pm
- Destination: 06C Chicago/Schaumb IL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 15 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; scat at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 7:11 pm from ONL, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.