The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating a fatal accident involving a Cirrus SR22 in Alcoa, Tennessee that took the life of MyGoFlight CEO Charles Schneider.
The accident happened the morning of December 16. Schneider and one other person were on approach to McGhee-Tyson Airport (KTYS) when, for unknown reasons, the aircraft went out of control and impacted near an Amazon warehouse under construction.
According to a witness interviewed by a local television station, the airplane “rapidly lost altitude” and the ballistic parachute was deployed. The local media published photographs of the airplane burning near the construction site. The reports did not indicate if the aircraft was on fire prior to impact. Both Schneider and the other occupant of the aircraft were taken to a local hospital where Schneider succumbed to his injuries. The name and the condition of the other occupant of the aircraft have not been released.
The SR22 was registered to BSA Ventures LLC, a company owned by Schneider. The weather at the time of the accident was VFR. A view of the aircraft’s ADS-B track on FlightAware shows the airplane in the pattern at KTYS for approximately 12 minutes. According to Airnav.com, the airport has Runways 05/23 Right and 05/23 Left. The SR22 was on approach for 23 when the accident happened. The last ADS-B report shows the aircraft at an altitude of 775 feet and an airspeed of 122 knots.
The preliminary report on the accident from the NTSB will not be released for a few weeks, and the probable cause of the accident can take a year or more to determine.
