20160119000759A

ON JANUARY 19TH, 2016, AT APPROXIMATELY 1831 UTC (1231 LOCAL TIME), THE AIRMAN, HOLDER OF A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE WAS INVOLVED IN AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT WHILE PERFORMING A LANDING FROM AN ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 18 AT THE WICHITA COLONEL JAMES JABARA AIRPORT (KAAO), WICHITA, KANSAS. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER REPORTED NO INJURIES. THE AIRCRAFT, A DAHER TBM 700^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) PREVAILED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE AREA. WEATHER REPORTED VIA THE (KAAO) AUTOMATED SURFACE OBSERVATION SYSTEM (ASOS) AT 1754 UTC, INDICATED OVERCAST CEILING 1,300 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL), VISIBILITY 9 STATUTE MILES, WINDS 100 DEGREES AT 6 KNOTS, TEMPERATURE OF -1 DEGREES CELSIUS, AND A DEW POINT OF -4 DEGREES CELSIUS. WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 8 MINUTES OF THE ACCIDENT AT 1839 UTC, WEATHER HAD DETERIORATED TO BROKEN CEILING 700 FEET AGL, VISIBILITY 2½ STATUTE MILES IN MIST, WINDS 050 DEGREES AT 8 KNOTS, TEMPERATURE -2 DEGREES CELSIUS AND DEW POINT -3 DEGREES CELSIUS. THE TERMINAL AREA FORECAST (TAF) FOR THE WICHITA DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER AIRPORT (KICT) LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF KAAO, INDICATED FOR THE TIME PERIOD TEMPORARILY 1600 TO 2000 UTC A CEILING OF 1,800 FEET (AGL) BROKEN, VISIBILITY 5 STATUTE MILES WITH LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE AND SNOW. PILOT REPORTS WITHIN +/- ONE HOUR OF THE ACCIDENT INDICATE LIGHT RIME AND MIXED ICING BY REGIONAL JETS ON DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL TO KICT. MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE (IAB), LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES SOUTH OF (KAAO) REPORTED WEATHER AS CEILING 500 FEET BROKEN, 4 STATUTE MILES VISIBILITY WITH LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE AND MIST, WINDS 050 DEGREES AT 7 KNOTS, TEMPERATURE -2 DEGREES CELSIUS AND DEW-POINT -3 DEGREES CELSIUS AT 1843 UTC.

THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE SCHENCK FIELD AIRPORT (KICL) CLARINDA, IOWA, ON AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PLAN TO (KAAO). THE AIRMAN STATED THAT THE INERTIAL SEPARATOR, LEFT AND RIGHT PITOT HEAT AND PROPELLER HEAT WAS ON FOR THE DURATION OF THE FLIGHT DUE TO MOST OF THE FLIGHT BEING CONDUCTED WITHIN THE CLOUDS. AFTER BEING ADVISED OF ICING REPORTS AND BEGINNING DESCENT, THE AIRMAN ELECTED TO ACTIVATE THE AUTOMATIC SETTING FOR THE DE-ICE BOOTS AND TURNED ON THE ELECTRIC WINDSHIELD HEAT. NORMAL CYCLING OF THE DE-ICE BOOTS AND SHEDDING OF ICE ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WING WAS NOTED BY THE AIRMAN. THE AUTOPILOT HAD BEEN ENGAGED THROUGHOUT THE FLIGHT UNTIL APPROXIMATELY 2 MILE FINAL WHERE THE AIRMAN HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE AIRPORT ENVIRONMENT. UPON DISENGAGING THE AUTO-PILOT, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO RAPIDLY DESCEND ACCORDING TO THE AIRMAN. THE LANDING GEAR AND LANDING FLAPS HAD BEEN SELECTED JUST PRIOR TO AUTOPILOT DISENGAGEMENT. THE AIRMAN STATED THAT HE HAD APPLIED MAXIMUM POWER AND PULLED FULL AFT ON THE CONTROL YOKE UNTIL IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. GROUND SCARRING INDICATES THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED APPROXIMATELY 1463 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY AND 65 FEET EAST OF THE CENTERLINE; SKIDDING APPROXIMATELY 460 FEET. POST- ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE POWER LEVER SET AT MAXIMUM; THE GEAR HANDLE UP AND THE FLAPS LEVER DOWN. THE ACTUAL FLAP POSITION WAS JUST BEYOND APPROACH SETTING AND THE MAIN GEAR POSITION DOWN WITH A COLLAPSED NOSE-GEAR. ALSO, THE PROPELLER WAS COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE HUB IN SEVERAL PIECES AFT OF THE AIRCRAFT NEAR THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT.

FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED ICE ON THE WINGS AFT OF THE PROTECTED AREA ALL THE WAY TO THE TRAILING EDGE. RIME ICE WAS FOUND ON THE RADOME, WINGTIPS, WINGLETS AND VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS. ICE WAS NOTED ON THE WINDSHIELD EXCEPT FOR THE HEATED RECTANGLE SHAPED AREAS ON EACH SIDE. THE DE-ICE BOOTS HAD SHED MOST OF THE ICE ON THE PROTECTED SURFACES. LATER INVESTIGATION REVEALED NORMAL OPERATION OF ALL ANTI/DE-ICE EQUIPMENT. EVIDENCE ALSO INDICATES THE ENGINE WAS DEVELOPING MAXIMUM POWER UNTIL IMPACT. FURTHER EVIDENCE REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE FIREWALL, STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE WING SPAR, AND THE RIGHT SIDE FUSELAGE NEAR THE WING ATTACH POINTS.