NTSB Identification: ERA09IA331
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Incident occurred Monday, June 08, 2009 in Elkin, NC
Probable Cause Approval Date: 05/06/2010
Aircraft: CIRRUS DESIGN CORP SR22, registration: N34TG
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various sources and may not have traveled in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft incident report.
The pilot stated that he was at a cruise altitude of 6,000 feet mean sea level when he heard a loud bang. Oil began to flow over the windshield and the pilot decided to activate the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System. The airplane descended under the parachute into a cornfield. Examination of the engine revealed the No. 2 piston had failed. Metallurgical examination of the No. 2 piston showed it had failed due to a fatigue crack that originated adjacent to the piston pin in the pin boss area. The exact location of the fatigue crack and the cause of fatigue crack initiation could not be determined due to extensive damage in the area of origin. Damage to the other components submitted for examination likely occurred as a result of the failure of the piston once the fatigue crack reached a critical size. While the pin boss is an area under high stress and it is possible that operational factors, such as improper timing, could initiate a fatigue crack, the investigation could not determine the cause of the fatigue crack.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this incident to be: A total loss of engine power due to the failure of the No. 2 piston as a result of a fatigue crack of undetermined origin. Full narrative available
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