Engine RPM Surged A Few Times, Followed By The Sound Of A Loud Bang And Subsequent Total Loss Of Engine Power

Location: Bellevue, WA Incident Number: WPR24FA103
Date & Time: March 5, 2024, 17:04 Local Registration: N927CS
Aircraft: Cirrus Design Corp SR22T Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional

On March 5, 2024, about 1704 Pacific standard time, a Cirrus SR-22T, N927CS, sustained minor damage when it was involved in an incident near Bellevue, Washington. The flight instructor and the pilot receiving instruction were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction reported that after takeoff from runway 34, Renton Municipal Airport, they leveled off at about 2,500 ft mean sea level (msl). A few minutes later, the engine RPM surged a few times, followed by the sound of a loud bang and subsequent total loss of engine power. Unable to restart the engine, they deployed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), and the airplane descended under the parachute into a wooded wetland area adjacent to a residential neighborhood.

Examination of the incident site revealed that the airplane impacted terrain about 4 miles northeast of the departure end of runway 34. The airplane came to rest upright in an approximate 10° nose low attitude, on a heading of about 066° magnetic, at an elevation of about 417 ft msl.

The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination. Review of the airframe and engine logbooks revealed that the engine, a Continental Motors TSIO-550-K1B, was overhauled in November 2019 and installed on the airframe in April 2020. At the time of the incident, the engine had accumulated about 680 hours since major overhaul. 

FMI: www.ntsb.gov