Cirrus Design CORP SR20 accident near Savannah, Georgia, May 25, 2023
On May 25, 2023 at about 10:20 pm local time, a 2000 Cirrus Design CORP SR20, registered N177EM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Savannah, Georgia (Savannah/Hilton Head Intl airport). 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
Failure and collapse of the nose landing gear during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 2023 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Savannah, Georgia · Savannah/Hilton Head Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design CORP SR20, built 2000
- Registration
- N177EM · no longer on the register · serial 1045
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. He reported that during his second landing and subsequent takeoff, he felt a vibration in the nose landing gear and decided that he would make the next landing a full stop and taxi back to the fixed base operator. During the third landing attempt the airplane touched down, the pilot heard a “snap,” as the nose landing gear settled onto the runway, and the nose landing gear then collapsed. Security video of the landing showed that the airplane landed normally, and after several seconds of landing roll, the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to a stop on the runway. The airplane’s firewall, engine mounts, and lower fuselage structure were substantially damaged. The airplane was subsequently removed from the runway and stored in a hangar at the airport. The hangar later caught fire and the airplane was destroyed. An examination of the nose landing gear components could not accomplished.
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
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 321 hours in all; 24 in this make and model
- Last flight review: May 3, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,974 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 20, 2023; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-ES6B (piston); 2,974 hours total
- Operator: Aero Davis LLC
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 10, 9,351 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from SAV
Weather report (METAR): METAR KSAV 301753Z 10015KT 10SM SCT030 SCT075 BKN090 28/17 A2992 RMK AO2 SLP131 CB DSNT SW T02830172 10289 20217 58006=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on November 16, 2023. 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 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation_director of Operations | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Video of Landing and Gear Collapse | video | View Download |
| 5 | Photo ARRAY_N177EM | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.