Serious incident Cirrus SR22 VH-DCB, Saturday 25 January 2025

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Date:	Saturday 25 January 2025
Time:	10:24
Type:	Cirrus SR22
Owner/operator:	private
Registration:	VH-DCB
MSN:	4651
Year of manufacture:	2018
Engine model:	Continental Inc. IO-550-N
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Minor, repaired
Category:	Serious incident
Location:	28 km east of Nyngan, NSW - Australia
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Gold Coast Airport, QLD (OOL/YBCG)
Destination airport:	Mildura Airport, VIC (MQL/YMIA)
Investigating agency:	ATSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The aircraft departed Gold Coast Airport with the pilot and one passenger at about 07:35 AEST.
At 10:18, while cruising at an altitude of about 8,000 ft above mean sea level (AMSL), the engine oil pressure decreased below the normal operating limits for the engine, 30 pounds per square inch (psi), and the pilot recalled an engine oil pressure alert. The pilot identified that Nyngan Aerodrome was the nearest aerodrome, about 15 NM (28 km) to the west. At 10:19, the pilot diverted directly to Nyngan with the aid of the autopilot.

The pilot calculated the distance, altitude and glide ratio of the SR22 and concluded that they would likely not make it to Nyngan in the event that the engine failed. They continued towards Nyngan but began to look around for suitable landing sites and identified the Mitchell Highway on the left side of the aircraft.

After checking the engine indications and confirming the engine oil pressure was below normal operating limits and continuing to decrease, the pilot made a PAN PAN broadcast to air traffic control (ATC), advising they were losing engine oil pressure and would be tracking directly to Nyngan. During this broadcast, the pilot recalled the engine began to ‘rev up’ which was followed by an audible ‘bang.’

The pilot then made a MAYDAY broadcast to ATC, advising that the engine had experienced a mechanical failure and they would be making an emergency landing on the highway. As ATC acknowledged the broadcast, the pilot observed flames ‘pouring’ from the top of the cowl.

At 1020 the pilot began a controlled descent towards Nyngan and the Mitchell Highway, and they selected idle power, mixture to cut off and turned off the fuel pump. They attempted to switch the fuel selector lever to off, but they were unable to, recalling that they required both hands to do so. At this time their forward visibility became partially obscured by engine oil on the windscreen.

The pilot reported being concerned that the fire was fuel related and elected to continue with a forced landing rather than deploying the airframe parachute system fitted to the aircraft. The pilot was also aware of the increased risk of fire damage to the aircraft rescue system and potential injuries during a parachute‑assisted landing to the passenger, who was pregnant.

At 1023, the pilot commenced a left turn at about 5,000 ft in the direction of the Mitchell Highway. The pilot elected to ‘dive the plane down’ to supress the fire, and increased the rate of descent to over 3,600 ft/min and then set up for an immediate forced landing on the highway.

The pilot recalled that the fire appeared to extinguish as the aircraft descended through 4,000 ft and reported they were able to switch the fuel selector off at about 3,250 ft. However, they recalled smoke began to enter the cockpit at about 3,000 ft as the aircraft continued to descend. The pilot selected the first stage of flap and lined up on a section of the Mitchell Highway in a south‑easterly direction. On final approach, the pilot had to adjust the emergency landing flightpath to avoid 2 motor vehicles on the highway and safely conducted the emergency landing, vacating the highway onto a dirt access road at about 1024.

The pilot recalled that, during the emergency, they had continuously tried to anticipate the next event or action, then evaluated the best course of action and confirmed their decision before proceeding.

The aircraft sustained minor damage to several components on the left wing as a result of colliding with roadside guideposts during the landing roll and the pilot and passenger were uninjured. The New South Wales rural fire service attended the scene shortly after the aircraft had safely landed.

Contributing factors
- The engine lost oil pressure during flight, leading to an in-flight engine failure and fire.

Accident investigation: