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Cirrus SR22 Crash – What Happened in Brett James’ Fatal Accident
Cirrus Pilots Association ^ | September 19, 2025 | Cirrus Pilots Association

Posted on 09/21/2025 7:13:44 PM PDT by xxqqzz

November 218 Victor Bravo, a Sirrus SR22 0:11 Turbo crashed around 3 p.m. Eastern near 0:14 Franklin, North Carolina, fatally 0:17 injuring all three occupants. From ADSB 0:21 tracking, we can see that 8 Victor Bravo 0:23 is in route from Nashville to Mon County 0:26 Airport. Let's bring in Mark Wadell now. 0:29 Dean of Aviation Safety with the 0:31 details. Mark, 0:33 thank you. Chuck, I'm going to be 0:36 talking about what we've learned so far 0:38 concerning a fatal accident in Cirrus 0:40 SR22T 0:42 November 218 Victor Bravo. It occurred 0:45 at Mon County Airport in Franklin, North 0:47 Carolina on September 18, 2025. 0:51 Before I continue, I want to express our 0:54 deepest condolences to all family, 0:56 friends, and colleagues of the pilot and 0:58 his passengers who died in this 1:00 accident. 1:02 The accident made local and national

(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...


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They were flying from Nashville to western NC. The airport is in the mountains, which creates difficulties for landings. He crashed on his 2nd go around. The impact was close to vertical, which might indicate a stall.
1 posted on 09/21/2025 7:13:44 PM PDT by xxqqzz
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To: xxqqzz

Doesn’t this plane have a parachute?


2 posted on 09/21/2025 7:14:42 PM PDT by crusty old prospector
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To: crusty old prospector

Possibly too low to deploy if doing a go-around (?)


3 posted on 09/21/2025 7:22:12 PM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: crusty old prospector

I understand planes can be ordered with their very own parachute, now. Some models designed to shoot you to the nearest airport! I just heard of it.

My son has a private plane and was going to see what we can learn.

I forgot about the conversation until your question came up.


4 posted on 09/21/2025 7:25:19 PM PDT by RitaOK (Viva Christo Rey. For Greater Glory. )
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To: xxqqzz

Yes, he got too slow on the second go around and spun in after a stall. Too low for the parachute. RIP Brett and family.


5 posted on 09/21/2025 7:32:33 PM PDT by HerrBlucher
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To: xxqqzz

A classic case of get-home-itis combined with a lack of flying discipline. From the ADS-B data, it appears he attempted two unstabilized approaches using a circling approach to get under the clouds rather than following the published IFR stabilized approach.

The airport was uncontrolled and in a bowl with high terrain surrounding it. His airspeed was high, and he executed a missed approach requiring a left turn and a high rate of climb to avoid the terrain. An aircraft can stall at any speed when the angle of attack exceeds the stall point. This could all have been avoided if he had set up for a stabilized straight-in approach.


6 posted on 09/21/2025 7:38:53 PM PDT by Dave Wright
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To: crusty old prospector

Yes. The SR22 as do all Cirrus aircraft has a CAPS (Cirrus Airframe Parachute System.). The recommended altitude above ground level for deployment is 2000 feet. There have been safe deployments below 2000 feet but as low as they were in their second go around, they were way too low for effective deployment. The pilot got way too low on hir airspeed when he started his second go around and it appears he stalled and went into a nose down spiral. ADSB showed his speed at about 72 knots just before loss of control. Just way too slow.


7 posted on 09/21/2025 7:47:57 PM PDT by yukong
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To: xxqqzz

Obviously a low alt stall while attempting the 2nd go around.


8 posted on 09/21/2025 8:09:57 PM PDT by anton
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To: crusty old prospector

Doesn’t work if you’re too close to the ground.


9 posted on 09/21/2025 8:35:40 PM PDT by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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To: xxqqzz
Whew. Sad. Scary too. Lotta pilot sayings come to mind...“Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.” Or...“Flying involves endless hours of sheer boredom, punctuated by moments of stark terror.”
10 posted on 09/21/2025 8:43:56 PM PDT by know.your.why (</I>)
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To: xxqqzz

First thing I surmised looking at the pictures was a stall. The Cirrus has a very good safety record.


11 posted on 09/21/2025 10:13:21 PM PDT by Organic Panic ('Was I molested. I think so' - Ashley Biden in response to her father joining her in the shower. D)
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To: know.your.why
"Whew. Sad. Scary too. Lotta pilot sayings come to mind...“Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous...."

Simply going fast is potentially lethal. If you were Usain Bolt and could run 60 mph, hitting a brick wall at that speed (unprotected) would kill you. And airplanes can go much, much faster than that.

Propelling yourself through the sky in a metal airship is an unnatural and inherently dangerous act. To quote Wilbur Wright, "If you are looking for perfect safety, you will do well to sit on a fence and watch the birds."

A more apropos "pilot saying" would be, "All take-offs are optional. All landings are mandatory."

12 posted on 09/22/2025 3:59:19 AM PDT by Paal Gulli
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To: xxqqzz

Check out the youtube channel “Pilot Debrief”. The program is presented by a retired USAF pilot/current airline captin who uses the moniker “Hoover”. He gives detailed analyses of the endless stream of general aviation accidents. Invariably they almost always involve pilot error. You’ll never fly on a small plane again.


13 posted on 09/22/2025 4:17:27 AM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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