Hawker Beechcraft King Air 200, Salmon, Idaho, Dec. 10, 2007–Control of the King Air was lost as a result of the commercial pilot’s failure to remove ice and snow from the airplane before takeoff, according to the Safety Board. The pilot’s improper preflight preparation, falling snow and a low ambient temperature were factors. The airplane was removed from the 60-degree warmth of a hangar and sat on the ramp at Lemhi County Airport in freezing temperatures and light to moderate snow for 45 minutes while waiting for passengers. The pilot did not remove the snow, which melted and refroze as ice on the warm airframe. The pilot and the right-seat passenger were killed; the two other passengers were not injured.
The surviving passengers said the takeoff run was longer than normal and the King Air lifted off at 100 knots and touched down again, then lifted off, rolling into a steep right bank. The airplane repeatedly rolled left and right and didn’t seem to be climbing. It shuddered, leading the passengers to suspect a stall. The pilot turned left, the airplane rolled and he recovered. At the end of the runway, the pilot turned left again and the King Air shook, shuddered and yawed, losing altitude. In an apparent stall, it hit a hangar 1,300 feet from the end of the runway.