Cirrus Design CORP SR22 accident near Lafollette, Tennessee, July 24, 2014
On July 24, 2014 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 2003 Cirrus Design CORP SR22, registered N8159Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Lafollette, Tennessee (Deerfield Resort). 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 failure to maintain directional control during a go-around in gusty crosswind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2014 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lafollette, Tennessee · Deerfield Resort · 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 2003
- Registration
- N8159Z · no longer on the register · serial 0743
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After an uneventful cross-country flight, about 2 miles from his destination airport, the pilot noted a "significant crosswind component with gusty/windshear like conditions." He then established the airplane in a slip maneuver and continued his approach to land. While over the runway, after realizing he had passed his intended point of landing, the pilot applied full throttle, added right rudder and pitched the airplane to a climb attitude to initiate a go-around. The airplane was then struck by a "significant wind gust" and it veered to the left towards a tree line. The left wing made contact with a tree and then impacted the ground before coming to rest between two trees. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to both wings and the empennage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that could have precluded normal operation. A witness' recount of the accident corroborated the pilot's statement. The winds at the time of the accident were gusting from the west.
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
- Windshear or thunderstorm during approach (VFR go-around)
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR go-around)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Crosswind correction › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 623 hours in all; 452.5 in this make and model; 32.4 in the last 90 days; 9.8 in the last 30 days; 567.2 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 23, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,427 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2013; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550 SERIES (piston); 1,427 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DWU Ashland KY at 8:35 pm
- Destination: TN44 Lafollette TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 21, 3,120 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft; clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 pm from 1A6, 21 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.