Cirrus SR22 accident near Mathias, West Virginia, September 30, 2010
On September 30, 2010 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Cirrus SR22, registered N567WT, was substantially damaged in an accident during emergency descent near Mathias, West Virginia (Grant County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of control of the airplane during an instrument approach in turbulent weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 2010 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Mathias, West Virginia · Grant County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus SR22 · all SR22s on the register
- Registration
- N567WT · no longer on the register · serial 3440
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Nearing the conclusion of a two-hour cross-country instrument flight rules flight, the pilot was flying a holding pattern around the initial approach fix, waiting for the weather conditions at the destination airport to improve. While holding, the pilot noted calm wind on the surface and wind gusts of up to 40 knots in turbulence aloft. After holding for about 15 minutes, the pilot decided to execute the instrument approach. While descending to the final approach fix, the airplane slowed, the turbulence worsened, and the autopilot disengaged. The specific reason for the autopilot disengagement was not precisely determined, although it was likely due to a very brief (unrecorded) activation of the stall warning or an inadvertent manual disengagement. After the autopilot disengaged, and following several pitch and roll oscillations, the pilot lost control of the airplane. During the resulting dive, the airplane pitched to an attitude of 86 degrees nose down, reaching a maximum airspeed of 171 knots and 3.29 g's. The pilot successfully activated the whole-airframe ballistic recovery parachute system, and the airplane subsequently descended under the parachute canopy, coming to rest about 10 nautical miles from the destination airport in a densely wooded area, suspended about 25 feet above the ground. The forecasted weather for the flight included widespread instrument meteorological conditions and turbulence above the destination airport, and an adjacent area of forecasted convective weather, temperature inversion, and associated wind shear. Weather radar imagery of the immediate area of the accident site, about the time of the accident, included areas of light to moderate intensity precipitation.
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
- Loss of control in flight during approach (IFR initial approach)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 711 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 625 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 21, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 230 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 2, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-N (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Morris Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: I23 Wshngton Ct Hs OH at 12:20 pm
- Destination: W99 Petersburg WV
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.61 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 pm from EKN, 34 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.