Cessna 208B N950FE

Summary

On 30 December 2014 at about 15:25 local time, a Cessna 208B registered N950FE, operated by Baron Aviation Services Inc, was involved in an accident near Roswell, New Mexico, United States. One person was 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 2014 at 15:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Roswell, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Roswell Intl Air Center (ROW)

Coordinates

33.2872, -104.5392

Aircraft

Cessna 208B

Registration

N950FE

Category

Airplane

Year built

1987

Engines

1

Operator

Baron Aviation Services Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lubbock → Roswell

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA091

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed to compensate for icing on the airplane's wings and control surfaces during a circling approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot received a weather dispatch package for a planned cargo flight in a single-engine, turboprop-equipped airplane. The weather forecast called for instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) en route. The pilot reported that he encountered inflight icing and solid IMC for most of the flight and was unable to climb above 8,500 ft mean sea level due to icing on the airplane's wings. During the approach at his destination airport, he reported to the air traffic controller that he didn't have much elevator control and thought that his controls were "almost frozen."   The pilot was late in identifying the runway and elected to do a no-flap circling approach, staying below the clouds. During the maneuver, an intermittent stall warning horn was heard in the background of radio communications between the controller and the pilot, indicating that the airplane was below the manufacturer's recommended approach speed. The pilot stated that he "never went below 100 knots" during the approach; the manufacturer's minimum recommended no-flaps airspeed in icing conditions is 120 knots. Additionally, the manufacturer recommended using 10° of flap extension for landing when airframe ice was suspected. Before crossing the runway threshold, the airplane experienced an uncommanded roll to the left, and the left wing and aileron impacted terrain. Examination of the airplane noted damage to the left wing, including the presence of frost and ice on the airplane. It is likely that, during the approach for landing, the pilot did not compensate for the airframe icing by increasing the approach airspeed as recommended. The accident is consistent with the pilot not maintaining adequate airspeed during a circling approach to the runway, and the uncommanded roll is consistent with an aerodynamic stall. The situation was likely exacerbated by the presence of ice on the wings and control surfaces.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.