Airplane Went Down During Touch & Go Practice

In a situation that is happening with inexplicable frequency, another Cirrus SR series piston single has gone down -- with tragic consequences. The burned wreck of a Cirrus SR22 GTS turbo was removed from Anderson County (SC) Regional Airport (KAND) a day after a fatal accident claimed the pilot and sole occupant. William T. Hayden was practicing touch and go landings, and had been accompanied by flight instructor Bill Settle prior to the accident. Mr. Settle exited the airplane to observe his friend and student complete three landings. According to the Independent Mail of Anderson, SC, he told investigating officials that Mr Hayden had left the runway and climbed steeply before the 'engine stalled' and the plane rolled into the ground. (Editor – and obviously, it was most the wing that entered an aerodynamic stall due to the steep angle of attack, and not the engine)

NTSB investigators collected perishable evidence from the accident site before an airplane recovery crew from Atlanta arrived on Saturday to remove it. The wreckage will be taken to an Atlanta area facility for examination by the NTSB and FAA. A preliminary report on the cause of the accident will be released in about 10 days. Following this, a statement on probable cause should come in about two months. The final report will take between six months to a year.

A data module from the aircraft was located and will be sent to lab in Washington D.C. for data recovery. (Pictured SR22 GTS from file)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov