Cirrus Design Corp. SR22 accident near Coconut Creek, Florida, January 15, 2005
On January 15, 2005 at about 5:23 pm local time, a Cirrus Design Corp. SR22, registered N889JB, was destroyed in an accident near Coconut Creek, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent to the ground. Factors included an avionics failure, pilot disorientation, and instrument meteorological conditions. A factor in the severity of the impact was the pilot's failure to deploy the airplane's onboard parachute system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 2005 · about 5:23 pm local time
- Place
- Coconut Creek, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design Corp. SR22
- Registration
- N889JB · registry record · serial 0949
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot took off in instrument meteorological flight conditions and shortly thereafter, misinterpreted a series of air traffic control instructions to be for his airplane when they were for another airplane. Subsequent callouts and responses by the pilot indicated confusion, to the point where he stated, "I gotta get my act together here." Less than 1 minute later, the pilot reported "avionics problems," and about 40 seconds after that, during his last transmission, he stated that he was "losin' it." The airplane subsequently descended nose-down, out of clouds, and impacted a house and terrain. The airplane was equipped with a primary flight display (PFD), as well as separate backup instruments in case the display failed. The airplane had approximately 98 hours of operation since being manufactured, and had a history of PFD failures. The pilot had previously practiced partial panel (no PFD) flight. The airplane was also equipped with a parachute system, which was not deployed in flight.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 483 hours in all; 405 in this make and model; 17 in the last 30 days; 418 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 98 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Ft Lauderdale FL at 5:17 pm
- Destination: APF Naples FL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from FXE, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.