Aviation Crash Map

Socata TBM700 CGWVS

27 February 2017 · Bellingham, Washington, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 27 February 2017 at about 20:20 local time, a Socata TBM700 registered CGWVS, operated by 4197802 Manitoba Ltd., was involved in an accident near Bellingham, Washington, 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.

The record

Date
at 20:20
Classification
Accident
Location
Bellingham, Washington, United States
Nearest airport
Bellingham Intl (BLI)
Coordinates
48.7919, -122.5347
Aircraft
Socata TBM700
Registration
CGWVS
Category
Airplane
Year built
2002
Engines
1
Operator
4197802 Manitoba Ltd.
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Business
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Bellingham → Puyallup
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
IMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
GAA17CA158

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 0 1

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to properly deice the airplane before takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall during the initial climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during the preflight, it was snowing, and he wiped the snow that had accumulated on the wings off "as best as [he] could." He added that, while taxiing to the runway, "snow was falling heavily," and he observed "light accumulation of wet snow" on the wings. During the takeoff roll, he observed the snow "sloughing off" the wings as the airspeed increased. Subsequently, during the climb to about 150 ft above the ground, the airplane yawed to the left, and he attempted to recover using right aileron. He reported that he "could see a stall forming," so he lowered the nose and reduced power to idle. The airplane impacted the general aviation ramp in a left-wing-down attitude and slid 500 to 600 ft. The pilot reported on the National Transportation Safety Board Aircraft Accident/ Incident Report 6120.1 form that the airplane stalled, and he recommended "better deicing" before takeoff. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. A review of recorded data from the automated weather observation station located on the airport revealed that, about 27 minutes before the accident, the wind was 010° at 8 knots, 1/2-mile visibility, moderate snow, freezing fog, and sky condition broken at 500 ft above ground level (agl) and overcast at 1,500 ft agl. The airplane departed from runway 16. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aeronautical Information Manual stated, in part: "The presence of aircraft airframe icing during takeoff, typically caused by improper or no deicing of the aircraft being accomplished prior to flight has contributed to many recent accidents in turbine aircraft." The manual further stated, "Ensure that your aircraft's lift-generating surfaces are COMPLETELY free of contamination before flight through a tactile (hands on) check of the critical surfaces when feasible. Even when otherwise permitted, operators should avoid smooth or polished frost on lift-generating surfaces as an acceptable preflight condition." FAA Advisory Circular, AC 135-17, stated in part: "Test data indicate that ice, snow, or frost formations having thickness and surface roughness similar to medium or course sandpaper on the leading edge and upper surfaces of a wing can reduce wing lift by as much as 30 percent and increase drag by 40 percent." Included in the public docket for this report is a copy of a service bulletin from the airplane manufacturer, which describes deicing and anti-icing ground procedures. It stated, in part:         During conditions conducive to aeroplane icing during ground operations, take-off shall not be attempted when ice, snow, slush or frost is present or adhering to the wings, propellers, control surfaces, engine inlets or other critical surfaces.         This is known as the "Clean Aircraft Concept". Any deposit of ice, snow or frost on the external surfaces may drastically affect its performance due to reduced aerodynamic lift and increased drag resulting from the disturbed airflow.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Socata TBM700 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
19 Jan 2016 Socata TBM700
N602MA
Wichita, Kansas, United States Premier Furnace Specialists No injuries -
15 Oct 2016 Socata TBM700
M-VNTR
Surrey, United Kingdom
no coordinates
- Serious injuries -
14 Apr 2015 Socata TBM700
N850WM
Evart, Michigan, United States - No injuries -
14 Oct 2019 Socata TBM700
N850NK
Breckenridge, Texas, United States Mt Margarett LLC No injuries -
2 Oct 2020 Socata TBM700
N965DM
Corfu, New York, United States - Fatal 2
4 Aug 2023 Socata TBM700
N188SJ
Kota Bharu, Malaysia - No injuries -

All 9 records for this type

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1 Jul 2017 North Wing Uum SPORT X2 912
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3 Dec 2017 Cessna 152
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All 170,864 records in United States