19950118000559A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cessna 208B · Lubbock, TX · January 18, 1995

Date
January 18, 1995 · 09:03 local
Place
Lubbock, TX
Phase of flight
Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
MT9A
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N9461B
Reported as
Cessna 208B
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney PT6A114
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
2,542 total514 in this make and model114 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Plane departed runway, turned left, control advised to return, lost radio/ radar contact, crashed in a field. (.4)during the night before the accident, freezing rain followed later by snow, fell on the ramp where the airplane was parked. A witness reported that while assisting the pilot in removing snow from the airplane, he noted that 80% of the wing was covered with a coarse layer of ice, from 1/16 to 3/16 in thickness, that was not removed before flight. After the accident, a fireman from the city of Lubbock fire department noted ice on the wing approximately 1/16TH of an inch thick that had a rough texture that looked as if deposited by freezing rain. The pilot reported that shortly after take off she heard a power decrease and felt surges in the aircraft. The pilot then looked for a place to land. A detailed examination of the engine reveled no mechanical deficiencies.

As the FAA filed it

PLANE DEPARTED RUNWAY, TURNED LEFT, CONTROL ADVISED TO RETURN, LOST RADIO/ RADAR CONTACT, CRASHED IN A FIELD. (.4)DURING THE NIGHT BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, FREEZING RAIN FOLLOWED LATER BY SNOW, FELL ON THE RAMP WHERE THE AIRPLANE WAS PARKED. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT WHILE ASSISTING THE PILOT IN REMOVING SNOW FROM THE AIRPLANE, HE NOTED THAT 80% OF THE WING WAS COVERED WITH A COARSE LAYER OF ICE, FROM 1/16 TO 3/16 IN THICKNESS, THAT WAS NOT REMOVED BEFORE FLIGHT. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, A FIREMAN FROM THE CITY OF LUBBOCK FIRE DEPARTMENT NOTED ICE ON THE WING APPROXIMATELY 1/16TH OF AN INCH THICK THAT HAD A ROUGH TEXTURE THAT LOOKED AS IF DEPOSITED BY FREEZING RAIN. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKE OFF SHE HEARD A POWER DECREASE AND FELT SURGES IN THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT THEN LOOKED FOR A PLACE TO LAND. A DETAILED EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVELED NO MECHANICAL DEFICIENCIES.