NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On January 26, 2015, at 1044 central standard time, a Cessna 182L airplane, N3181R, collided with trees during an off airport forced landing in Owen, Wisconsin. The certified flight instructor (CFI) received serious injuries, the student pilot received minor injuries, and the pilot-rated passenger in the rear seat was fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane had recently been purchased by the student pilot, but it was still registered to the previous owner. The airplane was operated by the student pilot/owner as an instructional/personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The flight originated from the Menominee-Marinette Twin County Airport (MNM), Menominee, Michigan, at 0928, with an intended destination of the Litchfield Municipal Airport (LJF), Litchfield, Minnesota.

The student pilot purchased the airplane in Indiana and the purpose of the flight was to relocate the airplane to Fairbanks, Alaska. The first leg of the trip was from Griffith-Merrillville Airport (05C), Griffith, Indiana, to the Wexford County Airport (CAD), Cadillac, Michigan. The second leg was from CAD to MNM. The student stated they stopped at MNM to obtain fuel. The accident occurred on the third leg of the trip while en route to KIF.

The pilot was in contact with the Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) while en route to LJF at 8,000 ft mean sea level (msl). The pilot requested and received a clearance to climb to 10,000 ft stating they were picking up rime ice. The pilot then reported that they were picking up "quite a bit of rime ice" and requested a descent back down to 8,000 ft. Approximately 3 minutes later, the pilot requested a descent to 6,000 ft stating that they were picking up more ice. The pilot then stated they had a little rise in the outside temperature, but were still "building up quite a bit of ice" and requested a descent to 4,000 ft. A short time later, the controller instructed the pilot to maintain 4,000 ft stating that the radar was showing him at 3,500 ft. The pilot replied that they were unable to maintain 4,000 ft. The controller provided the pilot with the weather conditions for nearby airports and asked the pilot if he wanted to change his destination. The pilot responded that they were looking up the weather for Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The controller then issued an altitude alert to the pilot stating that the minimum IFR altitude in the area was 3,000 ft. The pilot reported they were going to stay at 2,500 ft where they had visual contact with the ground. The controller reported that radar contact was lost and issued a position report to the nearest airport. The controller declared an emergency for the pilot and asked what his intentions were. The pilot responded that they were going to divert to Eau Claire. The controller cleared the airplane to the Eau Claire airport and instructed them to maintain 3,000 ft when possible. The controller asked the pilot about the icing conditions and the pilot stated that they were not picking up ice at their current altitude. The controller asked the pilot how much fuel they had remaining, and the pilot responded that they had 4 hours of fuel remaining. The controller issued a frequency change for another sector controller. There was no further contact with the airplane. The ARTCC lost radio communication with the airplane at 1044, 41 miles east of Eau Claire, WI.

The student pilot stated that they knew they were going to be flying into some weather, but they were planning on staying above it. He stated he was flying the airplane until the weather conditions deteriorated at which time the CFI began flying. The student reported they were at 8,000 ft when they first began to pick up ice. They climbed to 10,000 ft, but they continued to pick up ice so they requested a descent. They picked up a "significant" amount of ice during the descent and broke out of the clouds at 2,000 ft. He stated that they started to lose power and altitude while looking for a place to land. He stated that the CFI had a small area between the size of a golf ball and a baseball in which he was able to see out of the windshield. The student pilot reported he could see about an inch of ice built up on the wing. He stated the airplane was "running great" prior to the accident.

The CFI reported he got a weather briefing prior to the flight and knew they were going to encounter some weather, but thought they could get above it. He stated they were in visual meteorological conditions and after about 30 minutes of flight clouds began to form so he requested a higher altitude. A short time later, they began to pick up ice so he requested to descend to a lower altitude. He stated he was unable to maintain altitude and the airplane was sinking fast. He was unable to make it to the closest airport and his visibility was obstructed by ice on the windshield, so he elected to land on a "vacant" road.

The airplane touched down on the snow covered country road. The left wing contacted trees which boarded the left side of the road and the airplane subsequently veered into the trees where it came to rest.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The CFI held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane ratings. His flight instructor certificate was last issued on April 23, 2014, and it contained single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane ratings. The CFI also held an advanced ground instructor certificate. He was issued a first class airman medical certificate on December 12, 2014. The CFI reported having 1,873 hours of total flight time of which 65 were in Cessna 182 airplanes. In addition, he reported having 935 hours of instruction given flight time.

The student pilot held a third class medical issued on November 5, 2014. He reported having a total flight time of 33 hours, all of which were in Cessna 182 airplanes.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The accident airplane was a Cessna model 182L, serial number 18258581. The Cessna 182L is a single-engine, four-place design, with a fixed tricycle landing gear arrangement. It was powered by 230-horsepower Continental Motors O-470-R six-cylinder, reciprocating engine, serial number 131931-5-R. Thrust was provided by a two-blade McCauley model A234C66-NP constant speed (variable pitch) propeller assembly, serial number 703459.

According to maintenance records, the most recent annual inspection was completed on January 1, 2015, at an aircraft total time of 3,121 hours. The engine was overhauled on October 4, 1982 and had a time since major overhaul of 925.1 hours at the last annual inspection. The last maintenance performed on the engine was an oil change on January 23, 2015, at a tachometer time of 3,145.52 hours.

The student pilot purchased the airplane on January 20, 2015.

The airplane was fueled with 15.51 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel prior to departing MNM. The airplane was equipped with long range fuel tanks and according to the student pilot, the fuel tanks were full on departure.

The contents of the airplane were weighed following the accident. Weight and balance calculations indicate the airplane was about 267 pound over the maximum gross weight at takeoff.

The airplane was not equipped nor was it certified for flight in icing conditions.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

Weather conditions recorded by the Marshfield Municipal Airport (MFI), Surface Weather Observation System (ASOS), located 29 miles southeast of the accident site, at 1054, were: wind from 170 degrees at 8 knots, 0.75 miles visibility, a few clouds at 700 ft, overcast sky at 1,300 ft, temperature minus 7 degrees Celsius, dew point minus 9 degrees Celsius, and altimeter 29.76 inches of mercury, with light snow and mist.

Three Data User Access Terminal Service (DUATS) weather briefings were located which were associated with the aircraft registration, N3181R. The first briefing was at 0433 for a flight from the 05C, to CAD. The second briefing was obtained at 0726 for a flight from CAD to MNM. The third briefing was obtained at 0859 for a flight from CAD to MNM, which was the previous route. There is no record of the pilot receiving a DUATS briefing for the route of flight from MNM to LIF.

Aviation Meteorological Information (AIRMET) ZULU Update 2 for moderate icing below 15,000 ft was active for the accident location at the time of the accident.

The area forecast called for light snow and light freezing drizzle.

Forecast Icing Potential (FIP) and Current Icing Potential(CIP) imagery indicated high probabilities of moderate icing, including potential supercooled large droplet (SLD), along the route of flight for the times surrounding the accident between 4,000 ft and 10,000 ft. This imagery was not part of the weather briefing obtained, but was available online to the pilot.

NASA Langley Research Center satellite analysis of the icing conditions indicated the potential for "heavy" icing in the area of the aircraft's final portion of the flight, as well as the potential for SLD near the tops of the cloud layer, which was between 10,000 ft and 12,500 ft.

A Center Weather Advisory (CWA) issued at 0754 for an area north and northwest of the accident site advised of moderate to severe icing in clouds between 4,000 ft and 11,000 ft. Indications were that this weather was moving to the southeast.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The airplane touched down traveling to the east on a two-lane, paved country road which was snow covered at the time of the accident. The first visible tire tracks were near the left edge of the road. The left wing contacted trees along the side of the road as evidenced by the left wing tip being found near the initial tree strikes. The airplane continued on the road where it contacted more trees prior to veering to the left and coming to rest in a group of trees. The distance from the first tire marks to the main wreckage was about 300 ft.

Rime ice was visible on the top and bottom wing surfaces. Several pieces of concave shaped ice were located around the accident site. The pieces ranged from 1.5 inches to 7 inches long and from 1.5 inches to 2 inches wide.

The cockpit area was separated from the remainder of the airframe at the rear door post. The aft fuselage was buckled at a point 3 feet forward of the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer. The empennage remained attached to the aft fuselage which was wedged upward against a tree. The stabilizers, rudder, and elevator all sustained impact damage, but remained attached to the empennage.

The left wing sustained impact damage, but remained attached to the forward fuselage. The flap and aileron remained attached to the wing. The right wing remained attached to the fuselage. The right wing from station 154 to the tip was separated from the remainder of the wing, along with the main spar. The flap was separated from the wing. The aileron remained attached to the separated aft outboard section of the wing. The aileron and separated section of the right wing were located on the left side of the main wreckage.

Aileron, rudder, and elevator control continuity was verified from the cockpit to the control surfaces.

The engine separated from the airframe during the impact sequence and was located near the main wreckage. An examination of the engine was performed and no preimpact anomalies were noted.

NTSB Probable Cause

The flight instructor's decision to initiate flight into forecasted icing conditions in an airplane that was not certified or equipped for flight into icing conditions, which resulted in significant structural ice accumulation to the extent that the airplane was unable to maintain altitude.