LAX05FA045

The aircraft collided with an embankment 2 miles from, and about 200 feet lower than, the airport during a takeoff attempt in icing conditions. Examination of the ground scars and wreckage disclosed that the airplane collided with the berm in near wings level controlled flight while in a slightly nose high descending flight path. Evidence showed that both engines were developing symmetrical high power at impact. The aircraft was transporting cargo and medical specimens over a route the pilot flew every day according to a company schedule. The aircraft had arrived at 1826 from the previous stop on the scheduled route. According to witnesses at the airport who watched the airplane takeoff, either one or both of the engines were "very rough sounding." After the airplane departed runway 21, it made a shallow left turn, and then disappeared into the low clouds. One witness indicated that the airplane rotated approximately 5,000 feet down the nearly 7,000-foot-long runway. While on the ground after arrival, the pilot requested that the airplane be deiced. The line service technician accomplished this at 1855, 1 hour before the accident, with the pilot observing the procedure. When the technician arrived at the aircraft he noticed that the aircraft had "a considerable amount of ice built up" from the landing. He sprayed approximately 5 gallons of Glycol mix 50/50 to remove the ice and snow that was attached to the leading edges of the wings, spinners, and the snow that had accumulated on the top of the fuselage. During the procedure, light snow continued to fall. The accident airplane was not certified, nor equipped for flight into known icing conditions. Based on an evaluation of the weather data, IFR conditions, light snow showers, and conditions highly conducive to icing from the surface to 20,000 feet existed at the airport during the aircraft's landing, stay on the ground, and departure. There was a 95 percent probability of moderate clear to mixed icing from the surface to 10,800 feet. The pilot was aware of the icing conditions both at the airport and in the local area at the time of departure, and had received multiple weather briefings where the forecasted and observed icing conditions were clearly described. The operator reported that a truck was available to take the pilot's cargo onto the final destination should weather or mechanical reasons preclude completion of the flight. According to entries in a journal the pilot kept, there is evidence that the pilot perceived a great deal of pressure to fly in icing conditions with an under-equipped aircraft, and some of this pressure involved a perceived association between doing so and maintaining employment; however, there was insufficient information to determine whether the company culture condoned or encouraged this behavior. There was insufficient information from which to determine why the pilot chose to depart in icing conditions. Fatigue was not a factor in this accident. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were identified in the wreckage examinations.

History of flight

On December 7, 2004, about 1955 mountain standard time, a Cessna T310R, N592DM, impacted an embankment adjacent to Interstate 17, about 2 miles south of the Flagstaff, Arizona, airport. The airplane had just departed the airport and was in the takeoff initial climb phase. Distribution Management Corporation, Inc., d.b.a. Aero Charter and Transport, Albuquerque, New Mexico, operated the airplane as an on-demand charter flight carrying bank and medical cargo under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 135. The airplane was destroyed. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The cross-country flight departed Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, airport at 1736, en route to Flagstaff, and the flight was scheduled to continue on to Phoenix. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed and an instrument clearance received for the flight. The wreckage was at 35 degrees 06.480 minutes north latitude and 111 degrees 40.877 minutes west longitude.

The airplane was not equipped for, nor certified to conduct, flight into known icing conditions.

The operator indicated that the airplane had been chartered to haul bank material, and, blood and specimen samples for local hospitals. The operator further stated that the airplane's scheduled route of flight was from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), to Payson Airport (PAN), Page Municipal Airport (PGA), Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, and Payson with a return to Phoenix. The flight would have departed Phoenix that day about 0700, and was scheduled to terminate back at PHX about 2000. The operator reported that the pilot had called in from Page and reported that Payson was "iced in." The pilot was instructed to fly Grand Canyon and call the company if he was not able to make it into Flagstaff. The company became aware of the airplane accident after the airplane dropped off the company's tracking system shortly after takeoff from Flagstaff.

According to the aircraft log sheet recovered in the wreckage, the pilot departed Phoenix at 0714, arriving at Page at 0856. The flight departed Page at 1646, and arrived at Grand Canyon at 1733. The flight departed Grand Canyon at 1736, and arrived at Flagstaff at 1829.

Recordings of telephone and radio conversations and other records from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were reviewed. At 1540, the pilot contacted the Albuquerque Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) to file "canned" company flight plans and to receive a weather briefing. Flight plans were filed for flights from Page, Arizona (PGA), to Grand Canyon (GCN); GCN to Flagstaff (FLG); FLG to Payson (PAN); and PAN to Phoenix (PHX). During the weather briefing, the pilot was advised, "across the majority of that route for you this evening, I do have advisories for mountain obscuration and icing, Phoenix is about the only airport uh, not included in the advisories and the icing is forecasted light to moderate from the freezing level up to eighteen thousand feet." The briefer then asked the pilot if he had any "way to deice." The pilot responded, "No," and the controller stated, "You can't go." The pilot said, "I know, technically I can't go," but continued to receive the rest of the brief that included a pilot report for moderate rime ice near Prescott, Arizona.

The pilot again spoke with Albuquerque AFSS between 1836 and 1840, and changed the last leg destination to PHX, in lieu of PAN. The briefer asked the pilot if he was aware of the Airmet for icing and mountain obscuration, to which the pilot answered, "Yeah." The pilot agreed with the briefer that the ceilings at FLG were approximately 300 feet agl. The pilot then stated, "it's disgusting here, don't tell me what the weather is, cause I get scared." He said light snow was falling, and when asked again if he had the Airmet for icing, responded "Oh yeah, it's all over my airplane." Earlier in the conversation, the pilot did state he was "wanting to get a guy to deice my airplane."

The line service person that works for Wiseman Aviation at Flagstaff-Pulliam Airport, deiced the accident airplane prior to departure. He holds FAA airframe and power plant mechanic and private pilot certificates. He had also been with the United States Air Force for 4 years, and the reserves for 1 year. He indicated he had over 5 years experience deicing aircraft from KC-135 aircraft to more recently corporate and smaller civilian aircraft. He indicated that the pilot of the accident airplane requested to have the aircraft deiced at approximately 1855 and upon arriving at the aircraft he noticed that the aircraft had "a considerable amount of ice build up" from landing at the airport. He sprayed approximately 5 gallons of Glycol mix 50/50 to remove the ice and snow that was attached to the leading edges of the wing, spinner, and the snow that had accumulated on the top of the fuselage. The pilot monitored the deicing procedure and when asked if he was satisfied with the deicing procedure indicated that it "looked good." He also indicated that he had completed deicing another aircraft, a Piper Chiefton, which had also made a quick turn and also had landed a considerable time after the accident airplane's arrival. That aircraft also had a considerable amount of ice built-up, compared to the accident airplanes. He used 15 gallons of deicing fluid to deice the Chiefton.

At 1937, the mishap pilot received an IFR clearance from Prescott AFSS.

According to witnesses at the airport, who watched the airplane takeoff, either one or both of the engines were "very rough sounding." After the airplane departed runway 21, it made a shallow left turn, and then disappeared into the clouds. One witness indicated that the airplane rotated approximately 5,000 feet down the nearly 7,000-foot-long runway. About 5 minutes later, phone calls started to come into the airport reporting an airplane crash. At 1943, a person aboard Lifeguard N842DS, a Beechcraft King Air 100, reported to Prescott AFSS the "aircraft that just departed Flagstaff having trouble, I don't hear his engines anymore. He had controllability problems. He had engine problems."

A truck driver was driving on Interstate 17 and witnessed the airplane fly from east- to-west directly across his path and impact a hillside.

Aero Charter's chief pilot reported that they had a truck standing by at Flagstaff to take the pilot's load of cargo to Phoenix in case the pilot could not fly the route for weather or mechanical reasons.

The weather conditions recorded at Flagstaff, at 1944, reported wind from 230 degrees at 9 knots; visibility 1.5 miles with light snow and rain; overcast ceiling at 300 feet; temperature -1 degree Celsius; dew point -2 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 30.03 inches of mercury (inHg). Weather at 1956 was recorded as wind from 220 degrees at 11 knots; visibility 2 miles with light snow and rain; overcast ceiling at 300 feet; temperature -1 degree Celsius; dew point -2 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 30.03 inHg. Weather conditions observed at 2010 were wind from 220 degrees at 10 knots; visibility 1.5 miles with light snow and rain; overcast ceilings at 300 feet; temperature -1 degree Celsius; dew point -2 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 30.03 inHg.

Personnel information

A review of FAA airman records revealed the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single and multiengine land and instrument airplane. The pilot also held a mechanic certificate with ratings for airframe and power plant.

A second-class medical certificate was issued to the pilot on January 5, 2004, without limitations or waivers.

An examination was conducted of the pilot's logbook that was found on scene. The last entry was dated September 28, 2004. At that time the pilot reported a total flight time of 1,692.9 hours. Fo