- Date
- January 11, 1993, 19:55 local (Jan 12, 1993, 01:55 UTC)
- Place
- Susank, KS
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N712ACAero Commander 500-B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930111000939A
- Case key
- 15649
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 continued flight into adverse weather and the owner's representation that the airplane met the requirements for flight into icing conditions. The weather and airframe ice were factors in the accident.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot received two wx briefings; both indicating icing conditions en route to hays. In addition, both briefings advised of a SIGMET for reported moderate-to-severe icing in freezing rain below 4500 ft MSL. He telephoned both dispatch and the chief pilot; the consensus was that the wx had not developed as forecast and the adverse wx appeared to be east of hays (1st landing location). While descending into hays, the airplane accumulated ice rapidly. The pilot did not see the field at mda and executed a missed approach. He was subsequently unable to climb out of icing conditions, and the airplane settled to the ground with full power. The airplane was not equipped for flight into known icing conditions. It did incorporate STC SA2573CE which installs synthetic rudder strips on the wing/tail leading edges. The anti-icing 'shoes' are sprayed with glycol to help prevent ice build-up if icing conditions are encountered in flight. The pilot stated that the owner represented the STC as meeting FAR 135.227 for flight into icing conditions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N712AC
- Reported as
- Aero Commander 500-B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1100-61
- Airframe hours
- 5,913
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-E1A5, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Central Airlines, Inc., doing business as Central Air Southwest
- Registered owner
- Central Airlines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · January 3, 1993 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- GLD · Goodland, KS
- Destination
- HYS · Hays, KS
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 35
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,200 total · 800 in this make and model · 1,950 as pilot in command · 145 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 180° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Observed at
- RSL, 14 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.