Cirrus SR20 accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, February 24, 2017
On February 24, 2017 at about 11:39 am local time, a 2000 Cirrus SR20, registered N255JB, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Daytona Beach, Florida (Spruce Creek airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions (fog) during initial climb, which resulted in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 24, 2017 · about 11:39 am local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · Spruce Creek · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus SR20, built 2000 · all SR20s on the register
- Registration
- N255JB · registry record · serial 1059
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instrument-rated private pilot had filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan for the cross-country flight, but intended to depart under visual flight rules conditions and open his IFR flight plan shortly after takeoff. He stated that, during the preflight inspection, he did not see any low clouds and was able to see stars above him. The airplane departed shortly before sunrise, and the pilot stated that, while retracting the flaps after takeoff, he encountered low-level fog about 300 ft agl and the airplane entered instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot made a right turn to avoid the final approach course to the opposite runway, then saw a tree and attempted to avoid impacting it; he then recalled waking up in the airplane on the ground. Weather conditions near the accident site about the time of the accident included scattered clouds at 500 ft and a visibility of 6 miles in mist. The series of events described by the pilot was consistent with a loss of control due to spatial disorientation, likely due to the unexpected loss of visibility during the initial climb.
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 initial climb defining event
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during initial climb
- VFR encounter with IMC during initial climb
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Fog › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 790 hours in all; 710 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,985 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 31, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7FL6 Daytona Beach FL at 11:37 am
- Destination: LBT Lumberton NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 4,000 ft by 176 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 11:27 am from KDAB, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on June 27, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 17-071 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N255JB on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cirrus SR20 1,633 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Continental IO-360 32 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Spruce Creek Airport · nearest airport
- Lumberton Regional · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 987 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,702 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA17LA113.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.