Cirrus Design CORP SR20 incident near Deer Valley, Arizona, June 17, 2012
On June 17, 2012 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Cirrus Design CORP SR20, registered N552PG, suffered minor damage in an incident during taxi (to runway) near Deer Valley, Arizona (Deer Valley 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
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during taxi due to excessive taxi speed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 2012 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Deer Valley, Arizona · Deer Valley · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design CORP SR20
- Registration
- N552PG · registry record · serial 2007
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that when he started a right turn while taxiing for takeoff, the airplane’s right brake locked up and then both brakes became ineffective. The pilot was unable to stop the airplane, and it subsequently departed the taxiway, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest nose-down in the grass. Data downloaded from the airplane’s multifunction display revealed that during the last 2 minutes of taxi, the airplane’s engine power setting varied between 1,450 and 1,530 rpm and that the airplane’s ground speed was about 20 knots. The pilot’s operating handbook states the maximum continuous engine power for taxiing is 1,000 rpm. Postaccident examination of the brake assemblies revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot failed to maintain directional control because of the high taxi speed during the turn.
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
- Loss of control on ground during taxi (to runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 650 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 600 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 6, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 31, 2012
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-360-ES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DVT Deer Valley AZ at 7:00 pm
- Destination: DVT Deer Valley AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07R, 8,196 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 106°F (41°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.