SR20 pilot forgets to remove pitot tube cover — General Aviation News

By General Aviation News Staff · June 2, 2023 · 11 Comments

A witness reported that after the Cirrus SR20 departed Runway 22 at Conway Regional Airport (KCXW) in Arkansas, he heard a transmission over the UNICOM that stated, "six-two whiskey romeo emergency landing Runway 2."

There is no Runway 2 at KCXW.

Shortly after, he observed the airplane make a left turn and overfly Runway 4 and stated that the airplane appeared "crazy fast."

After the airplane overflew the runway, it entered a steep left bank, made 1-1/2 rotations, and then hit the ground. The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the airplane, died in the crash.

Recovered GPS data from the airplane revealed that the highest altitude achieved on the flight was 593 feet above ground level (agl) when the airplane was on a crosswind leg in the traffic pattern. The airplane then began a continuous descent until impact. The downwind leg was flown about 0.1 nautical mile south of the runway.

The airplane hit the ground in a nose-low, inverted attitude. The right wing was fractured, and pieces of the wing were located in the initial ground scar. Propeller slash marks were found in the ground near the initial impact point and contained white paint transfer signatures. The propeller blades were found fractured and separated from the crankshaft flange.

The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) deployed during the crash, and the canopy was found still bundled in a straight line away from the wreckage. The total debris field from the CAPS rocket to the main wreckage was about 110 feet.

A post-accident examination revealed the pitot tube cover remained secured on the pitot tube with a "REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT" banner attached.

Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and spin. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the pilot to perform an adequate preflight inspection, to include removal of the pitot tube cover.

NTSB Identification: 103289

To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.

This June 2021 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.