Cirrus Design Corp. SR20 accident near Duluth, Minnesota, March 23, 1999
On March 23, 1999 at about 7:28 pm local time, a Cirrus Design Corp. SR20, registered N115CD, was destroyed in an accident near Duluth, Minnesota (Duluth International Airp airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the lack of sufficient aileron-to-wing gap clearance design. Contributing factors were the inadequate oversight of the Federal Aviation Administration of the design and manufacturing and flight test process of Cirrus Design Corporation, the location of the control yoke, the inadequate surveillance of the test flight and the test flight procedures by the Cirrus Design Corporation. The destabilizing crosswind condition that existed on the landing runway was an additional factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 23, 1999 · about 7:28 pm local time
- Place
- Duluth, Minnesota · Duluth International Airp · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design Corp. SR20
- Registration
- N115CD · registry record · serial 1001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental airplane was on a test flight when it impacted terrain following an emergency landing attempt. The airplane was certified as an experimental airplane for crew training. The airplane's aileron spring cartridge and rudder-aileron interconnect had been removed for the test flight. The airplane was loaded with ballast to provide an aft center of gravity with stall tufts attached to both wings. During the test flight, the company test pilot declared an emergency and reported a flight control problem while maneuvering. Radar data indicates that 10 seconds prior to the declaration of an emergency by the test pilot, the aircraft was in a stall phase of flight. Postaccident inspection revealed that the right aileron exhibited evidence of jamming with its wing cove/skin. In postaccident testing of a similar SR20, a manual input pilot force was applied to the side yoke control by a Cirrus Design Corporation (CDC) test pilot. A maximum load of 85 pounds was achieved by the test pilot by leaning forward and applying both hands on the side yoke control. The control input could not be held indefinitely due to muscle fatigue. During the control input, the right aileron was deflected 11 degrees with the left aileron clamped at the inboard rib. CDC test pilots were not graduates of civilian or military flight test schools. The test pilot was not equipped with a personal parachute. A gusting crosswind of approximately 16 knots was present on the selected landing runway. The airplane's maximum demonstrated crosswind component was 19 knots. All runways were available at the time of the accident. CDC was not monitoring radio communications with the accident pilot during the test flight.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,053 hours in all; 742 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-ES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DLH MN at 7:12 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 10,152 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from DLH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.