A Skilled Pilot, a Routine Approach, an Unexpected Catastrophe

We know that his airplane stalled, but why it stalled is still a mystery.

Peter Garrison

Friday, November 18, 2022 at 12:10 PM ET

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Greene County Regional Airport in Ohio [Courtesy: Greene County, Ohio]

Key Takeaways:

A Cirrus SR22T crashed after stalling during a steep, low turn from base to final approach, resulting in the pilot's death.
The accident was attributed to the pilot exceeding the wing's critical angle of attack due to insufficient airspeed during the turn, as the aircraft approached 50 degrees of bank.
Contributing factors likely included the pilot's rush to return before the FBO closed, leading to an unusually tight and low pattern, and potentially gusting winds.
Residual airframe ice from earlier flight conditions was also considered a possible, though unconfirmed, factor that could have affected the wing's stall characteristics.

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On a freezing January evening in 2016, a Cirrus SR22T approached Greene County Regional Airport (I19) near Dayton, Ohio, its home field, after a 100 nm IFR hop from Indianapolis.

Conditions at the airport were VMC, with a 1,700-foot ceiling, 10-mile visibility and a 9-knot wind gusting to 14 and varying from 240 to 330 degrees. The sun had just set, and the temperature on the ground was 32 degrees Fahrenheit.