Cessna 182S N374TC

Summary

On 30 December 1999 at about 22:30 local time, a Cessna 182S registered N374TC was involved in an accident near Kennewick, Washington, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 December 1999 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Kennewick, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Vista Field (S98)

Coordinates

46.2095, -119.1607

Aircraft

Cessna 182S

Registration

N374TC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sacramento → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA00LA034

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's decision to continue flight into known icing conditions, and his subsequent failure to maintain adequate airspeed on final approach, resulting in a hard landing. Factors included: icing conditions; the pilot's improper decision to continue to his planned destination from an ILS low approach rather than to execute the straight-in ILS approach to a full stop on a more suitable runway for his flight situation; and the pilot's failure to follow proper pilot's operating handbook procedures for an inadvertent icing encounter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was informed of icing conditions prior to entering the clouds. Although the aircraft is prohibited from flight into known icing conditions, the pilot elected to continue the flight into the icing conditions and land at his planned destination. Once the aircraft entered the clouds, it immediately began picking up ice, ultimately preventing it from attaining any significant climb rate and necessitating a nearly full-power approach at an airspeed 30 to 40 knots faster than the airplane's normal flaps-up landing speed. The pilot performed an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to an airport 5 miles from his destination, and after breaking out under the clouds, canceled instrument flight rules (IFR) and proceeded under visual flight rules (VFR) to the destination airport (whose runway is approximately 3,100 feet shorter than the runway to which the ILS approach is made.) The pilot reported that about 30-50 feet above ground level on final approach, he reduced power and extended flaps from 10 degrees to 20 degrees (the 'Inadvertent Icing Encounter' emergency procedure in the pilot's operating handbook specifies that wing flaps be left retracted.) The aircraft's speed immediately dropped, as did the left wing. The aircraft descended and the airplane landed hard, bouncing once before settling to the runway surface. The pilot reported that after he taxied to the ramp and inspected the airplane, he noted about 1/2 inch of ice on all flight surfaces.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.