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Accidents · NTSB GAA19CA142 · Final report

Cirrus SR22 accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, February 20, 2019

On February 20, 2019 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 2017 Cirrus SR22, registered N381DE, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Tulsa, Oklahoma (Richard Lloyd Jones JR airport). It was a business 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 a stabilized approach with a tailwind and his subsequent failure to maintain yaw control during an attempted go-around.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
February 20, 2019 · about 11:00 pm local time
Place
Tulsa, Oklahoma · Richard Lloyd Jones JR · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cirrus SR22 Undesignat, built 2017 · all SR22s on the register
Registration
N381DE · no longer on the register · serial 4526
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot reported that, while en route, he applied left rudder to stay coordinated and that he alternated his left and right legs due to muscle fatigue. He added that, during landing at the destination airport, the approach was stabilized and "felt normal" with the flaps set at 100%. During the landing flare, he used "very little rudder" to maintain centerline, and about 1 to 2 ft above the ground, the airplane suddenly yawed left about 30° to 45°. He added that there was not enough right rudder to maintain the airplane parallel with the runway, so he decided to go around. He applied power, and the airplane then yawed violently left and impacted the ground, exited the runway to the left, and came to rest in the grass left of a parallel taxiway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The owner provided flight data from the accident flight. Examination of the data revealed that, within 25 seconds of the accident, the airplane descended from 782 to 619 ft mean sea level (msl) with the descent rate peaking around 1,019 ft per minute and the indicated airspeed decreasing from 86 to 60 knots. About 2 seconds before the accident, the pitch attitude peaked at 7° with a left roll of 16°. The airport elevation was about 638 ft msl. The airplane was also equipped with a crash-hardened recoverable data module (RDM). Examination of the data recovered from the RDM revealed that the airplane veered left, the power and pitch were momentarily increased, and the stall warning horn was on. The airplane manufacturer's recommended landing approach speed with flaps set to 100% was 80 to 85 knots. The aerodynamic stall speed at maximum gross weight was about 60 knots. The pilot reported that the wind was light and variable and not gusting. The RDM data revealed that the wind was from 359° at 5 knots. The pilot was landing the airplane on runway 19L. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that he examined the airplane and verified rudder control continuity and noted that "everything was intact."

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

  1. Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
  2. 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 › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
  • cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Yaw control › Not attained/maintained
  • cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
  • Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Effect on operation

Pilot

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 1,133 hours in all; 725 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,063 as pilot in command
  • Last flight review: April 17, 2017
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
  • Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
  • Seats: 5
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental IO-550-N (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: ELD El Dorado AR at 9:30 pm
  • Destination: RVS Tulsa OK
  • Flight plan: VFR
  • Runway 19L, 4,208 ft by 100 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 250° at 4 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
  • Observation at 10:53 pm from KRVS

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

6 documents, released by the NTSB on April 4, 2019. 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.

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.