Ice/Snow on Wings Blamed for Fatal TBM 700 Crash

The pilot’s decision to take off with ice and snow contamination on the wings resulting in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain was the probable cause of the Nov, 26, 2023 fatal accident of a Daher TBM 700, according to the NTSB final report. The instrument-rated private pilot and his passenger, a commercial-rated pilot and flight instructor, were killed when the turboprop single crashed and burned moments after taking off from Mason County Airport in Ludington, Michigan, on a planned Part 91 day IFR flight to Angola, Indiana.

Some 15 minutes after being rolled out from an unheated hangar, the pilot taxied to the runway for departure, “with visible snow accumulation on the ground and on the airplane wings, and horizontal stabilizer,” said the report. Visibility was zero with moderate snow showers, and a temperature and dewpoint of -1 degrees C.

The airport manager, who watched the airplane take off, said the departure appeared to be normal until the left wing dropped shortly after rotation. Another witness said the airplane was loud and low, with its left wing low before it cleared a line of trees and hit the ground.

In the bulk of the report, the NTSB discussed the risks of taking off with ice and/or snow on control surfaces, including references in the accident airplane’s pilot operating handbook that warned of performance degradation from failing to remove all snow, frost, and ice from the wings and control surfaces during the preflight inspection. “On icy or snow-covered runways, anti-icing fluid must be sprayed on the wings, control surfaces, and in landing gear wells, shortly before takeoff.” The risks of snow and ice accumulation on control surfaces of the TBM series were further outlined in 2018 Daher-Socata Service Letter 70-053.

Flight training records show the pilot had a flight review and instrument proficiency check about seven months before the accident. The flight review was conducted in the accident airplane and included training in winter weather conditions such as snow and ice. Insurance paperwork filed in March 2023 indicated the pilot had about 4,700 hours total time and 320 hours in the TBM 700.