Cirrus Design Corp. SR-22 accident near Oxford, Connecticut, September 12, 2004
On September 12, 2004, a Cirrus Design Corp. SR-22, registered N579AL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oxford, Connecticut (Waterbury-Oxford airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2004
- Place
- Oxford, Connecticut · Waterbury-Oxford · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design Corp. SR-22
- Registration
- N579AL · no longer on the register · serial 1057
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing, the airplane touched down to the left of the runway centerline, and bounced once before it departed the left side of the runway. The pilot then decided to abort the landing, but did not retract the flaps from the landing position. As the airplane accelerated, the pilot felt that it was not climbing as he expected it should, so he aborted the go-around attempt. The airplane touched down again on the grass, and subsequently struck a parked vehicle during the landing roll out. When asked how the accident could have been prevented, the pilot stated, "The go around procedure probably should not have been executed. Although the plane slid left, cutting the power would have probably resulted in [the airplane] resting in the grass."
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 135 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 85 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 31, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 31, 2004; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MMU Morristown NJ
- Destination: OXC Oxford CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.