CEN12LA153

NTSB accident investigation · Socata TBM 700 · Madison, WI · February 10, 2012

Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
February 10, 2012, 08:29 local (14:29 UTC)
Place
Madison, WI
Injuries
3 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Takeoff
Aircraft
N850LMSocata TBM 700
Defining event
Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report June 11, 2014
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Central Region
FAA report
20120210002219A
Case key
82860

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

On this page

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to ensure that ice and snow were removed from the airplane’s surfaces during the preflight inspection, which resulted in an inadvertent aerodynamic stall after takeoff and loss of control of the airplane.

Findings · 4

NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.

AircraftAircraft › Aircraft structures · Not specifiedSocata TBM 700: 1 caseAll aircraft: 72 cases
Inspection: preflight inspectionPersonnel issues › Task performance · PilotSocata TBM 700: 4 casesAll aircraft: 551 casesProbable cause
Use of equip/info: aircraft controlPersonnel issues › Task performance · PilotSocata TBM 700: 21 casesAll aircraft: 9,295 casesProbable cause
Performance/control parameters: airspeedAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedSocata TBM 700: 9 casesAll aircraft: 1,681 casesProbable cause

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Analysis

The pilot reported that moderate rime ice had accumulated on the airplane during the inbound flight to the fixed-base operator (FBO). FBO employees reported seeing 1 1/2- to 2-inch thick ice on the wings' unprotected surfaces, the left wing's radome, and the propeller spinner and around the stall indicator when the airplane arrived. The pilot removed some of the ice with his hand and declined an offer to have the airplane deiced or put it in a heated hangar. Subsequently, the airplane was parked outside at the FBO for about 1 hour, during which time it was snowing and sleeting. Witnesses reported that they did not see the pilot check the tail surfaces for ice and that, when the airplane taxied for takeoff, they saw ice on portions of the airplane, including the radome, and snow on the wings' surfaces. The pilot reported that, during takeoff, the left wing dropped and was not generating lift, likely due to the ice on the airplane's surface. The airplane veered left, impacted terrain, and then caught on fire before coming to rest. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any failure that would have resulted in the loss of control.

Factual narrative

On February 10, 2012, at 0829 central standard time, a Socata TBM 700 airplane, N850LM, collided with the terrain following a loss of control on takeoff at the Dane County Regional Airport (MSN), Madison, Wisconsin. The pilot and two passengers received minor injuries. The airplane received substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The airplane was registered to Precision Aviation LLC and was operated by a private pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and in instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident with an intended destination of Fort Myers, Florida. The pilot had flown from Appleton, Wisconsin to MSN and was on the ground at MSN for approximately one hour prior to the accident departure. During the inbound flight from Appleton, the pilot reported to air traffic control that the airplane picked up moderate rime ice between 3,000 feet and 10,000 feet and that the ice was coming off the airplane as it descended. The pilot stated he did not have any problem controlling the airplane and after landing, he "manually" removed the ice that remained on the airplane, ate breakfast, had the airplane fueled, and walked around the airplane to "…confirm no ice remained on wing and other surfaces." The pilot reported he began the takeoff rotation at 85 knots and once airborne, the left wing began to drop with no lift being generated from the left wing. The pilot stated he lowered the nose of the airplane and applied right rudder in an attempt to land the airplane back on the runway. The airplane veered to the left and impacted the terrain near the intersection of runway 32/14 and taxiway B. The airplane then slid about 900 feet through the intersection and came to rest in the grass north of taxiway C, at which time the pilot and passengers noticed the airplane was on fire. They were unable to open the main cabin door, so they exited through the emergency door. The outboard section of the left wing sustained impact and fire damage. Scorch marks were visible on the pavement and grass along the wreckage path. The entire left side of the airplane was covered with soot from the postimpact fire. The right side of the airplane was relatively soot free and the outboard section of the right wing was bent upward. The propeller and engine cowling were separated from the airplane. A postaccident examination of the wreckage was conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration. Flight control continuity was established during the examination and no failure or malfunction of the airplane was identified that would have resulted in the loss of control. Three employees of the fixed base operator (FBO) at MSN reported seeing ice that was 1½ to 2 inches thick on the unprotected surfaces of the wings, the radome on the left wing, around the stall indicator, and on the propeller spinner when the airplane arrived. They reported seeing thepilot breaking the ice off of portions of the airplane with his hands. None of the FBO personnel saw the pilot check the tail surfaces. The pilot was offered deicing services and a heated hangar in which to put the airplane, but he declined both. Two of the employees reported hearing one of the passengers voice concern to the pilot about the ice on the airplane, but the pilot did not seem to be concerned. The person who fueled the airplane stated it was snowing and sleeting when he fueled the airplane. FBO personnel reported there was ice on portions of the airplane, including the radome, and snow had accumulated on the wing surfaces when the airplane taxied for takeoff. At 0832, the MSN Automated Surface Observing System recorded weather conditions as: Wind calm; 2 miles visibility with light snow and mist; scattered clouds at 1,200 feet, overcast clouds at 1,900 feet; temperature 0 degrees Celsius; dew point minus 2 degrees Celsius; altimeter 29.90 inches of mercury. The airplane was equipped with a Garmin G1000 Integrated Flight Deck. The data on the SD card from the multi-function display (MFD) was downloaded by the National Transportation Safety Board's Vehicle Recorder Division. The last seven seconds of data showed that the indicated airspeed increased from 87.63 knots to 95.82 knots. The pitch attitude increased from 1.49 degrees to 15.88 degrees nose up; then decreased to 11.47 degrees nose up, and then decreased further to 11.21 degrees nose down. The left bank angle during the last 7 seconds increased from 1.15 degrees to 60.59 degrees.

Aircraft

Registration
N850LM
Reported as
Socata TBM 700
Category
Airplane
Serial number
538
Airframe hours
423.4
Engine
P&W PT6A66D, 850 horsepower, turbo prop
Damage
Substantial damage
Fire
On-Ground
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · October 11, 2011 · 45.7 hours before
Departed
MSN · Madison, WI
Destination
FMY · Fort Myers, FL
Flight plan
IFR
Airport
MSN · Dane County Regional, runway 21, 7,200 × 150 ft, asphalt

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
54
Injuries
Minor
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
November 20, 2011
Seat
Left
Restraint
3-point
Flight hours
1,364 total · 54 in this make and model · 1,268 as pilot in command · 54 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 0.8 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
0° at 0 knots
Visibility
2 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
1,900 ft overcast
Temperature
32 °F, dew point 28 °F
Altimeter
29.89 inHg
Observed at
MSN

Docket · 18

The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 8, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 9.3 MB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.