NTSB Factual Report

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 the pilot 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.

NTSB 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.