Cessna T310R N289WB

Summary

On 17 April 2006 at about 16:26 local time, a Cessna T310R registered N289WB was involved in an accident near Heber City, Utah, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 April 2006 at 16:26

Classification

Accident

Location

Heber City, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Na

Coordinates

40.4731, -111.1353

Aircraft

Cessna T310R

Registration

N289WB

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Billings → Cedar City

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN06FA065

1 person died.

the pilot's loss of aircraft control due to the loss of engine power due to induction icing. Contributing factors include the in-flight encounter with structural icing, the severe turbulence, and the pilot's increased workload.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Radar data depicted the airplane reverse course from a southerly track to a northerly track. The pilot reported to air route traffic control center (ARTCC) that he had just lost manifold pressure in the left engine and that he needed to go lower. The controller cleared the pilot to descend from 16,000 feet mean sea level (msl) to 14,000 feet msl. The center controller asked the pilot if he had reversed course due to his engine problem and the pilot acknowledged in the affirmative. The controller assigned the pilot another frequency and the pilot acknowledged the frequency change. No further transmissions were made from the pilot on either frequency and radar contact was lost at an encoded altitude of 11,400 feet msl. The wreckage was located in mountainous, down sloping, snow covered, forested terrain. The airplane was destroyed. An examination of the airframe, engines, and airplane systems revealed no anomalies. Radar echoes and satellite data indicated that the accident airplane most likely entered clouds approximately 1010. Based upon the current icing potential algorithm, there was a high likelihood of icing and supercooled large water droplets at 14,000 to 16,000 feet msl in the accident area. Based on area forecasts, PIREPS, and weather advisories, the accident airplane most likely encountered moderate to severe turbulence and moderate to severe mixed icing during the final few minutes before the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.