LAX02FA041

Witnesses observed the airplane's wings rock back and forth prior to the airplane stalling, entering a spin, and impacting terrain during the takeoff initial climb out. There was a post impact fire. The airplane was loaded with a pilot, three passengers, luggage, miscellaneous items, and fuel. A determination of the amount of fuel on board could not be made. If the airplane took off with full fuel, it would have been over gross weight with the center of gravity outside of the envelope (aft). With 30 gallons of fuel on board, the airplane would have been within the gross weight; however, it would still have been out of the center of gravity envelope (aft). The pilot and front seat passenger were fatally injured. The rear seat passengers survived. The rear seat passengers indicated that on the morning of the accident the airplane was turned so that the sun could melt the ice on the wings. They went to eat and when they returned, they noted a layer of 1/4- to 1/2-inch of ice still covering the airplane. The pilot and two passengers removed some of the ice from the wings and tail sections; however, the rear seat passengers reported that no ladders were used to remove the ice from the tops of the wings. The weather conditions during the preceding 24 hours were conducive for the formation of frost, snow, and ice on the lifting surfaces of the airplane. Numerous witnesses observed 1/4- to 1/2-inch of snow and ice on the surfaces of other airplanes parked at various spots on the airport the morning of the accident. Public deicing facilities were not available at the airport. Investigators noted no mechanical discrepancies during the engine inspection that would have precluded it from producing power, and no discrepancies were found with the airframe. Research has shown that that frost, snow, and ice accumulations on the leading edge or upper surface of the wing, no thicker or rougher than a piece of coarse sandpaper, can reduce lift by 30 percent and increase drag up to 40 percent. Larger accretions [of snow, ice, or frost] can reduce lift even more and can increase drag by 80 percent or more. Toxicology testing of the pilot's blood detected a prescription antidepressant at a level consistent with routine use and an over-the-counter sedating antihistamine at a level above that expected from a single dose. The pilot had not reported the use of these medications to the FAA."

History of flight

On December 5, 2001, at 1011 mountain standard time, a Cessna 182E, N3049Y, collided with level desert terrain shortly after takeoff from runway 21L at Ernest A. Love Field Airport (PRC), Prescott, Arizona. The pilot/owner operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane was destroyed in the collision sequence and post impact fire. The private pilot and the passenger in the front seat were fatally injured; the two passengers in the rear seat were seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that was scheduled to terminate at the Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) Airport, Puerto Penasco, Mexico. No flight plan had been filed.

According to the rear seat passengers, the purpose of the flight was to look at some property in Mexico for development. Both passengers had each packed a gym type bag with a change of clothes and toiletry items, that each weighed about 10 pounds. They also did not recall the airplane being refueled the day of the accident.

The male passenger indicated that he had flown with the pilot a couple of times prior to the accident. He stated that on the day of the accident, about 0700, he and the female passenger met the pilot at the pilot's office. Waiting at the office was the pilot and the front seat passenger. They drove over to the airport for breakfast before departing on their flight. He stated that they went to the airplane first, and the airplane was turned so the sun could "catch it." The male passenger did not recall how long breakfast was, but indicated that some time had passed before they returned to the airplane. After arriving back at the airplane he noted that there was "still ice on the wings - sun was glistening off the ice."

The passenger indicated that he, the pilot, and the front seat passenger started to chip ice off the wings. He was positioned at the tail section and was using a small plastic comb to pop "pieces of ice off." During the chipping off of the ice, he noted a recessed area, tie down area, where water had gathered and frozen.

The male passenger reported that the tops of the wings were not easy to get to and the ice was heaviest in that area; however, the ice was starting to melt on the trailing edge of the wings. He further stated that no ladders were used to reach the tops of the wings to remove the ice. At one point the passenger asked the pilot if they were okay to fly, and the pilot responded with 'yeah.'

When they were finished removing ice from the airplane, they got in and taxied to the runway, where they were instructed to wait for a landing airplane. The passenger remembered calling his daughter at 1000, while they were waiting to takeoff. During that time, he recalled seeing an airplane across the field that appeared to be taking a "shower." The pilot explained to the passengers that the airplane was being deiced. The pilot then taxied the airplane to the runway and took off.

The passenger remembered that after takeoff, the airplane banked to the right, then the left, then back to the right. He also recalled the pilot saying something like "this isn't right," or "something's wrong." The passenger stated that there seemed nothing out of the ordinary with the engine.

The female passenger stated that once they arrived at the airport they turned the nose of the airplane to the west so that the sun "from the east could beat directly on the wings," then went to breakfast. Once they arrived back at the airplane after breakfast she got into the airplane and did not assist with the ice removal. She noted that the ice on the wings was "thick ice, not like you could brush it off," and estimated it to be about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick, and the pilot and front seat passenger were "struggling to get the ice off." The passenger reported that the pilot and front seat passenger did not use ladders to reach the top part of the wings, nor did they stand on any parts of the airplane to remove the ice.

At one point she asked the pilot if they would be all right. The pilot stated, "Once they got up in the air the ice would melt at higher altitudes." She did not remember anything after the takeoff roll.

Witness information

A certified flight instructor for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University had taken off behind the accident airplane. The instructor stated that he saw the airplane accelerate at a normal rate down the runway. At that point, he had been cleared to taxi into position and hold. He looked up and noted that the accident airplane was not climbing as much as he thought it should. He estimated that the climb rate was about 150-200 feet per minute. The instructor stated that he did not think much of it until they rotated and were climbing out. He looked outside and saw the accident airplane below the horizon about 1/4-mile from the departure end of the runway. He estimated that his airplane was about 300 feet above ground level (agl). At that point he knew something was wrong. He then heard the local controller asking if the accident airplane needed assistance.

The instructor stated that he saw the accident airplane bank about 35 degrees, and estimated its altitude to be about 150-200 feet agl and not climbing. It appeared to him that the pilot was initiating a course reversal to return to the airport. He saw the bank angle increase to about 80 degrees and the left wing "suddenly dropped" like it had stalled. It appeared to the instructor that the accident pilot attempted to recover from the situation; however, the right wing immediately dropped and stalled, placing the airplane into a spin. He stated that the airplane was inverted when it contacted the ground.

The instructor further stated that during his preflight inspection of his airplane he noted about 1/2-inch of frost, snow, and ice mixture covering the airplane. During the taxi to the Forest Service facility to deice the airplane, he observed that the pitot tube was completely iced over, and he activated the pitot heat. The deicing crew then deiced the airplane. The instructor also noted that during their run-up the VSI returned back to its null position at a slower than normal rate. Before they were ready for takeoff they conducted further tests of the alternate static system. The VSI improved and he and his student decided to continue the flight.

Another witness, located at the Forest Service facility, was deicing airplanes at the time of the accident and saw the accident airplane taxiing along taxiway Charlie towards runway 21L. He stated that it caught his attention because it was one of the first airplanes out of the airport that morning. He further reported that on the morning of the accident there was ice present not only on the airplanes but also on the ramps and taxiways.

The witness indicated that there is a small window (time) where they can see and hear aircraft takeoff on the runway; about 900-1,300 feet down runway 21L. He observed the accident airplane in this area accelerate down the runway, and the engine sounded normal. He stated that around the 4,000-foot mark of the runway, the airplane slowly rotated into ground effect in a wings level attitude. The witness stated that it appeared the pilot was conducting a soft field/high performance takeoff to obtain "climb airspeed." From his estimate, the airplane stayed within 10 feet of the runway until 1,000 feet from the runway threshold of runway 3R. The airplane entered a slow descent, in a wings level attitude towards the runway, which terminated about 4 feet from the runway. He stated that the airplane pitched up slowly at first then became abrupt at the end of the runway. The airplane began a 45-degree right bank turn at an estimated 20 degrees per second roll rate. The witness stated that he thought this was abnormal and he continued to watch the airplane. He lost sight of the airplane as i