Beechcraft 58 N36VE

Summary

On 11 January 2013 at about 21:53 local time, a Beechcraft 58 registered N36VE, operated by Bottorff Construction Inc, was involved in an accident near Maxwell, Nebraska, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 January 2013 at 21:53

Classification

Accident

Location

Maxwell, Nebraska, United States

Nearest airport

North Platte Rgnl Airport (LBF)

Coordinates

41.2017, -100.4703

Aircraft

Beechcraft 58

Registration

N36VE

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

2

Operator

Bottorff Construction Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

North Platte → York

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13FA130

4 people died.

The pilot’s inadvertent encounter with severe icing conditions, which resulted in structural icing and the subsequent loss of airplane control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot filed an instrument flight rules flight plan and, about an hour before departure, he obtained a weather briefing, which included an airmen's meteorological information (AIRMET) for the potential for moderate icing conditions and turbulence below 8,000 ft over the route of flight. About the time the airplane departed, weather conditions worsened with freezing fog, heavy snow fall, and reduced visibility. However, at that time, neither a significant meteorological information (SIGMET) nor a center weather advisory warning of severe icing conditions had been issued. After departure, an air traffic controller cleared the airplane to climb to 9,000 ft mean sea level (msl). When the airplane was about 7,000 ft msl and still climbing, the pilot asked the controller if there were any reports regarding the cloud tops, and the controller responded that there were not. Less than a minute later, radar data showed the airplane descending, and the pilot issued a "mayday" call. Radio and radar contact were then lost. The wreckage was found about 11 miles northeast of the airport. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Flight crewmembers of two flights inbound to the airport around the time of the accident reported that they encountered freezing rain and severe mixed icing; these conditions were beyond the airplane's icing certification standards and could have caused increased weight, degraded performance, and unpredictable aerodynamic characteristics. Federal Aviation Administration guidance warns that, when severe icing conditions are encountered, the pilot shall immediately request priority handling to facilitate a route or an altitude change to exit the icing conditions. Based on the weather information, it is likely that the airplane encountered severe icing conditions about the time of the accident, which resulted in structural icing that exceeded the airplane's capabilities and resulted in a loss of control. Based on the wreckage distribution, which was consistent with a high-speed impact, and the low visibility present at the time of the accident, it is likely that, after the loss of airplane control, the pilot experienced spatial disorientation; however, there was insufficient evidence to determine the role that spatial disorientation might have played in the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.