Cirrus SR22 accident near Huntersville, North Carolina, December 1, 2006
On December 1, 2006, a Cirrus SR22, registered N665CD, was destroyed in an accident near Huntersville, North Carolina (Charlotte/Douglas Intl airport). 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. Contributing to the accident was the night instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 1, 2006
- Place
- Huntersville, North Carolina · Charlotte/Douglas Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus SR22 · all SR22s on the register
- Registration
- N665CD · no longer on the register · serial 1774
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was provided an intercept vector and cleared for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach during night instrument meteorological conditions; however, the airplane crossed through the final approach course. The air traffic controller alerted the pilot, and issued a vector to rejoin the final approach course, but as the airplane maneuvered, it descended below a safe altitude. The controller issued a "low altitude warning," and instructed the pilot to climb "immediately" to 3,000 feet. During the following 20 seconds, the airplane climbed from 1,800 feet to 3,800 feet, heading changed from 180 degrees to about 330 degrees, and airspeed decreased from 183 knots to 90 knots. The airplane then entered a rapid descent with the final recorded radar target being approximately 1/4 mile from the accident site. A witness statement and physical evidence at the scene were consistent with the airplane's engine producing power until impact. The debris path was approximately 100 feet long and contained fragmented portions of all the airplane's components. Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies. The pilot's logbook was not located and his total or recent actual instrument experience could not be determined.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 516 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 426 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 1, 2006; 13 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PDK Dekalb-Peachtre GA at 11:45 pm
- Destination: CLT Charlotte NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18R, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 170° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
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.