The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on the Dec. 30 crash of a Cirrus SR22 with a Cirrus sales representative at the controls does not shed any light on the cause of the fatal accident. The Cirrus SR22 (N254SR) departed controlled flight and collided into the slope of a hill near Paso Robles, CA and was substantially damaged. A certificated flight instructor was the sole occupant. The personal flight departed San Carlos Airport, San Carlos, CA, for Paso Robles Municipal Airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. A close friend of the pilot stated that he was planning to visit for the weekend, flying from his base airport, as he had done many times prior. The pilot called him on a cellular telephone while in the airplane approaching the proximity of the friend's residence informing him that he was about to pass by. The pilot had done this on many occasions to let the friend know that he was about to land. The pilot's friend proceeded outside to watch the airplane while speaking with the pilot on the telephone. He observed the airplane drop rapidly about 1,000 feet as it was flying toward his house. As the airplane was approaching his house in a nose-high configuration with full power, he heard the telephone drop and the pilot make a few inaudible comments. The airplane then made a rapid ascent in a near vertical nose-high maneuver climbing to about 1,000 feet above ground level (agl). It subsequently made a 90-degree right turn and then continued to turn into a barrel roll, disappearing behind the tree line ahead. He noted that he heard the engine producing full power during the maneuver. Records established that the airplane was fueled with the addition of 44.2 gallons of aviation fuel on the day of the accident. The main wreckage came to rest on a northeast facing slope and had been subjected to severe thermal damage. The main wreckage consisted of the left wing and tail section as well as the ashen remains of the fuselage. The cabin was completely consumed by fire. The left wing was inverted though remained on the correct side of the fuselage with the leading edge facing downslope and nearly perpendicular to the debris path. The empennage was aft of the wing spar and attached by sections of partially consumed fiberglass and steel cables; the rudder was askew from the empennage, positioned on the right side of the wreckage. All control surfaces were accounted for at the accident site with the exception of the left aileron. The left aileron's aluminum control surface had sections attached at the respective hinges, but the middle section was absent consistent with it being consumed by fire. The firewall was imbedded under the main wreckage and the engine mounts were broken.