Page 78 - EAA78.Newsletter.Archives.(February.2017-July.2021)

CHAPTER CHATTER, EAA Chapter 78
Angle of Attack (AoA)
On April 24, 2017, about 18:25 hrs., eastern daylight
time, a Cirrus Design Corp. SR22, N94LP, impacted
terrain in Wallingford, Connecticut during initial climb
from Meriden Markham Municipal Airport (MMK),
Meriden, Connecticut. The private pilot was fatally
injured. The passenger was seriously injured. The
airplane was destroyed. Visual meteorological
conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the
local personal flight conducted in accordance with the
provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot had been flying out of MMK for several years.
He previously owned a Piper PA-28- 180, which he had
recently sold, and had purchased the accident airplane
about 3 weeks prior to the accident. Since that time, he
had transition training from a flight instructor.
On the day of the accident, the pilot had decided to
increase his proficiency in preparation for a planned
trip to North Carolina. According to witness statements
and security camera video, about 1740, the airplane
departed the airport to the east. Around 1817, the
airplane returned to the airport, and witnesses describe
that the airplane was "fast and high" as it approached
runway 18. The airplane then flared about 10 feet
above the runway before it abruptly descended, and
then touched down about half way down the runway.
The airplane then bounced about three times and then
became airborne once again. The airplane banked
about 30° to the left, and climbed to an altitude of about
1,100 feet and joined the traffic pattern. About 6
minutes later, the airplane was once again on final
approach to runway 18. This time the approach
appeared to be slower, but the airplane was again
high. It again appeared to flare 10 feet above the
runway, abruptly descend, and then touch down
approximately half way down the runway.
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The airplane bounced about two times, the engine
began to accelerate, and the airplane became
airborne. During the climb, the airplane appeared to be
at a higher angle of attack, and it sounded as if the
airplane was "hanging on its prop." The airplane rolled
into an approximately 60° left bank and descended
while turning to the left. It then impacted the ground,
slide across the ground while continuing to turn to the
left, came to rest, and caught fire. Examination of
runway 18, revealed scrapes and S-shaped rubber
transfer marks, consistent with an airplane touching
down nosewheel first, in two locations that
corresponded to the last two bounces that were
observed by witnesses, and security camera videos.
Examination of the accident site revealed that the
airplane first made ground contact with the left wingtip,
and after impacting and breaching a 30-foot section of
the 8-foot-tall airport security fence, slid across a public
use roadway, on an approximate 078° magnetic
heading. About 115 feet later, it came to rest in the
north bound travel lane against an earthen berm. Most
of the airplane was then consumed by a postcrash fire.
Further examination of the accident site revealed that a
115-foot-long, and 62-foot-wide, debris path existed
that began at the initial impact point, and spread out
along the ground until reaching the point where the
airplane came to rest.
It contained the propeller, which was found buried
beneath the shoulder of the south bound travel lane
about 37 feet from the initial impact point; the engine
cowling, which came to rest about 52 feet from the
initial impact point; the left wing tip and a portion of the
outer left wing panel, which came to rest about 81 feet
from the initial impact point; and the top rail of the
breached 30 foot section of airport security fence,
which came to rest about 92 feet from the initial impact
point. It also contained, smaller subcomponents of the
airplane and portions of the airplane structure.
Examination of the airplane wreckage revealed no
evidence of any inflight structural failure. The wing
flaps were up, and control continuity was established
from the remains of the cockpit flight controls to the
remains of the ailerons, elevator, and rudder.
Examination of the propeller and engine revealed no
evidence of any preimpact malfunction or failure. The
three-blade propeller exhibited chord wise scratching,
and leading edge gouging, with the gouges matching
the spacing of the chain links of the airport security
fence. Oil was present in the engine, and drive train
and valve train continuity was confirmed.