BANGOR, ME, USA
N6250X
CESSNA U206G
The pilot stated that during the IFR flight, '...Around Concord, NH, I received weather conditions in Bangor with possible icing below 10,000 feet and I did not think of it being significant....Even though I had some ice on the leading edges and my windshield, and my speed was down significantly, I was sure that when I got to lower altitudes, I would lose the ice.... The icing conditions persisted....[During the landing] with poor forward visibility, I misjudged my height above ground looking through the side window, instead of flying the plane to the ground as it is recommended...I applied my first notch of flaps (10 degrees). The plane stalled immediately and landed on the nose gear, came to stop after a bounce.' The Pilot Operating Handbook stated, 'Flight into icing conditions is prohibited....The best procedure, of course, is to turn back or change altitude to escape icing conditions.'
On December 16, 1995 about 1321 eastern standard time, a Cessna U206G, N6250X, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Bangor International, Bangor Maine. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that departed from Millbrook, New York, at 1000, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. In the NTSB form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated: ...Before departure, I got [a weather] briefing from flight service in Williamsport, PA and filed my IFR flight with them. Around Concord, NH, I received weather conditions in Bangor with possible icing below 10,000 feet and I did not think of it being significant....In the vicinity of Portland, ME, I heard the conversation between the controller and a commuter pilot saying; How is icing? Answer: Coming down through 3000 to 2500 feet, the ice melted. Even though I had some ice on the leading edges and my windshield and my speed was down significantly, I was sure that when I got to lower altitudes, I would lose the ice. I requested lower altitudes from my cruise of 7000 [feet] to 5000 and again to 3000. The icing conditions persisted....[During the landing], with poor forward visibility, I misjudged my height above ground looking through the side window, instead of flying the plane to the ground as it is recommended, and...I applied the first notch of flaps. The plane stalled immediately and landed on the nose gear.... The pilot further reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Additionally, the Pilot Operating Handbook stated: Flight into icing conditions is prohibited. An inadvertent encounter with these conditions can best be handled using the checklist procedures. The best procedure, of course, is to turn back or change altitude to escape icing conditions.
the pilot's improper inflight planning/decision, and his failure to properly plan his approach for landing, so that the airplane would not stall or touchdown hard. Factors relating to the accident were: the adverse weather (icing) condition, the accumulation of airframe ice, and the pilot's reduced visibility due to the ice covered windshield.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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