Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Preliminary report on the Feb. 28 crash of a CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR20 in Navasota, TX

NTSB Identification: CEN16FA111

14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, February 28, 2016 in Navasota, TX
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR20, registration: N477TC
Injuries: 4 Fatal.


This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On February 28, 2016, about 0850 central standard time, a Cirrus SR-20, N477TC, collided with the terrain following a loss of control in Navasota, Texas. The airline transport rated pilot/certificated flight instructor and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to Air Akhtar Heating & Air Conditioning LLC and was operated by an individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the David Wayne Hook Airport (DWH), Spring, Texas, at 0817.

The last air traffic control contact with the airplane was at 0821, shortly after its departure from DWH. A still photo from a security camera at the Navasota Municipal Airport (60R), an uncontrolled airport, showed the airplane heading north on the taxiway at 0847. A pilot, who was practicing touch and go landings at 60R, reported seeing the wreckage southeast of the airport around 0900. He subsequently reported the accident to local authorities. This pilot stated he did not hear or see the accident airplane in the area prior to seeing the wreckage, but that he had been in the area only long enough to have performed two touch and go landings. Runway 17 was being used for takeoffs and landings at 60R at the time of the accident.