Cirrus Design CORP SR22 incident near Lexington, North Carolina, October 22, 2014
On October 22, 2014 at about 10:25 am local time, a 2004 Cirrus Design CORP SR22, registered N242MB, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute (cruise) near Lexington, North Carolina. 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
Maintenance personnel's improper tightening of the crankcase through bolt nuts during reassembly of the engine at the last overhaul, which resulted in the failure of the crankshaft and the subsequent total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 2014 · about 10:25 am local time
- Place
- Lexington, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design CORP SR22, built 2004
- Registration
- N242MB · registry record · serial 0911
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. The pilot reported that, while en route to his destination at a cruise altitude of about 5,000 ft mean sea level, the engine "failed." He flew the airplane toward an open field and deployed the ballistic recovery parachute. He subsequently conducted a successful landing in the field. An examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft had fractured between the No. 2 main journal and the No. 2 connecting rod journal. An examination of the crankshaft revealed that the fracture was due to fatigue that had initiated from multiple origins at the fillet radius between the No. 2 main journal and the cheek at the aft end of the journal. The fatigue initiated from surface damage that occurred due to the No. 2 main bearing shifting. The bearing likely shifted due to the improper tightening of the crankcase through bolt nuts and subsequent insufficient clamping force of the crankcase saddle surfaces. A review of the airplane's maintenance records revealed that the engine was last overhauled 775 total flight hours before the accident, and no records were found indicating that the through bolts had been removed since that time. It is likely that maintenance personnel improperly tightened the crankcase through bolts during the overhaul.
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
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Installation › Maintenance personnel
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Incorrect service/maintenance
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,354 hours in all; 1,650 in this make and model; 59 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 3,254 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 23, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,512 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 8, 2013; 200 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550 SERIES (piston); 775 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 24NC Monroe NC at 10:00 am
- Destination: GSO Greensboro NC
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 310° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 am from GSO, 30 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.