ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 204544
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| Date: | Monday 15 January 2018 |
| Time: | 20:35 LT |
| Type: |  Velocity XL-RG |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N787SB |
| MSN: | 3RX097 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2003 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 600 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Santa Fe County south of Santa Fe, NM -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Liberal Municipal Airport, KS (LBL/KLBL) |
| Santa Fe Airport, NM (SAF/KSAF) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot was conducting a cross-country flight in night, visual meteorological conditions when he inadvertently entered an area of instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and icing, and the airplane subsequently began accruing ice. The experimental airplane was not equipped for flight in known icing conditions. The pilot reported to an air traffic controller that the airplane had entered IMC and had accumulated icing. The pilot then saw a 1-ft-diameter, gelatinous supercooled water mass on the windshield, and 5 seconds later, the entire windshield became crystalized with ice. Several seconds later, the airplane entered an uncommanded dive. The pilot was able to recover from the dive, but he was unable to maintain altitude and declared an emergency with air traffic control. Subsequently, he conducted a forced landing on rough terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and left elevator.
Ice accumulation was observed on the airframe at the accident site, and several pieces of ice were observed along the wreckage debris path. The observed ice accumulation would have precluded smooth airflow over the wing during the flight and resulted in degraded performance.
Meteorological data indicated that the airplane flew into an area of unforecast icing conditions. It is likely the airplane entered supercooled liquid water clouds, which resulted in a sudden accretion of airframe ice. Supplemental satellite weather data indicated a local potential for icing at the accident site; however, without any corroborating pilot reports of icing, an advisory was not issued for the area around the accident site. The pilot stated that he did not review weather data before departure or while en route; however, even if he had he reviewed weather data, it would not have shown that icing conditions were present or forecast.
Probable Cause: The airplane's inadvertent encounter with unforecasted icing conditions during cruise flight, which resulted in the accumulation of airframe icing, the airplane's inability to maintain altitude, and a subsequent forced landing on rough terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN18LA077
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=787SB
Location
Media:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Jan-2018 16:46 | Geno | Added |
| 17-Jan-2018 02:43 | Geno | Updated [Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 17-Jan-2018 07:09 | flightwriter | Updated [Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 18-Jan-2018 21:34 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Aug-2020 08:40 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 26-Aug-2020 08:56 | harro | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Jul-2022 12:41 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
| 07-Dec-2023 18:18 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
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