Cirrus Design CORP SR22 accident near Cross City, Florida, January 28, 2011
On January 28, 2011, a Cirrus Design CORP SR22, registered N8135B, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Cross City, Florida. 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
A total loss of engine power resulting from the failure of the camshaft due to fatigue cracks. Contributing to the accident was the inadequate quality inspection of the camshaft after initial manufacture.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 28, 2011
- Place
- Cross City, Florida · 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
- Registration
- N8135B · no longer on the register · serial 0669
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane’s engine lost power during cruise flight at 9,000 feet, and the pilot declared an emergency. Air traffic control (ATC) personnel initially provided the pilot with headings to a nearby airport. However, when the pilot realized that he would not reach the intended airport, he deployed the airplane’s parachute, and the airplane came to rest upright in a field. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the camshaft was completely fractured due to fatigue cracks near the flange at the oiling holes. Further examination showed that the fatigue cracks initiated at the edge of the oiling holes and were caused by burrs left when the camshaft was originally manufactured. The burrs folded over during subsequent shot-peening operations, which formed laps at the corners of the holes; the laps acted to concentrate stresses at the edges of the holes and also shielded the underlying material during shot peening. The laps prevented formation of the beneficial compressive stresses that result from shot peening. This allowed subsequent formation of fatigue cracks. The accident camshaft was determined to have been the 19th camshaft of its type manufactured. Because the camshaft was not a serialized part, specific manufacturing records could not be located. However, the quality control inspection procedures that were in place at the time the camshaft was manufactured required an inspection of the oil holes for proper de-burring. A search of FAA database revealed no similar camshaft fracture failure between 1995, and February 2012, excluding the accident event.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Miscellaneous/other during emergency descent
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › (general) › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 470 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 54 in the last 30 days; 442 as pilot in command; 133 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 13, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,414 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 11, 2010; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550-N (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Deep South Express LLC
The flight
- Departed from: EUF Eufaula AL at 11:19 pm
- Destination: LEE Leesburg FL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from CTY, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.