Storm Field Airport: Morton, Washington

Airport is located south east of Morton.

On March 19, 2010, about 1910 Pacific daylight time, a Cirrus SR22, N224GS, collided with trees and terrain approximately 2.5 miles west-northwest of Strom Field Airport, Morton, Washington. The private pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot was killed and the passenger sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The pilot departed from Buchanan Field Airport, Concord, California, about 1540, and was destined for Renton Municipal Airport, Renton, Washington.

According to a preliminary briefing from Federal Aviation Administration personnel, the pilot of N999VK reported hearing a mayday call from N224GS , and that the Cirrus was "…three miles west of Strom Airport, was dead sticked, and did not think he would make the airport."

The Safety Board investigator interviewed the passenger on Wednesday, March 24. The passenger indicated that she and the pilot were returning from a business trip. After fueling the airplane, they departed and began the flight home. The passenger stated that while the airplane was in cruise flight, the pilot suddenly placed his hands on the controls, told her that the engine had lost power, and they were going to land at a nearby airport. He entered a steep right turn toward the airport. The passenger could not recall hearing anything unusual at the time of the event. The pilot remained calm throughout the approach to the airport and reassured the passenger during the descent that they would land safely. The pilot declared a mayday and spoke on the radio. The passenger sent a text message to a friend at 1909 indicating that they were not going to make it to the airport. She did not recall anything after this point. The passenger indicated that the pilot
had discussed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) with her prior to the trip and showed her how to activate it in the event of an emergency. The passenger reported that the pilot did not attempt to activate the CAPS during the flight.

The airplane came to rest in a rural residential area, on soft terrain used for gardening. The first identified point of impact was an area of approximately 50-foot tall trees. A 4-inch diameter section of a tree was broken, and a piece of fiberglass material remained suspended at the top portion of one tree. The outboard section of the right wing containing the navigation light was identified on the ground in this area, and it was located about 130 feet from the main wreckage. From the outboard right wing section moving east, the next identified point of impact was fencing that surrounded a garden. Multiple fence posts and rails were dislodged and found at the main wreckage site. The wings and forward fuselage area sustained significant impact damage. All control surfaces remained attached. A crater approximately 2 feet deep was directly in front of the engine. The wreckage came to rest on a heading of about 300 degrees magnetic. There was no fire.
Approximately 7 gallons of fuel were drained from the left wing fuel tank. The right fuel tank was breached.

The wreckage was recovered for further examination.