Socata TBM 700 N700QD

Summary

On 6 December 2003 at about 09:39 local time, a Socata TBM 700 registered N700QD was involved in an accident near Reading, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 December 2003 at 09:39

Classification

Accident

Location

Reading, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Reading Regional Airport (RDG)

Coordinates

40.3744, -75.9469

Aircraft

Socata TBM 700

Registration

N700QD

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Executive/Corporate

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Reading → Norwood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

NYC04LA044

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper decision to not apply de-icing fluid to the wings prior to takeoff, which resulted in snow/ice contamination on the of the wings, a stall mush, and a forced landing in an open field.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane departed while it was snowing. The pilot reported that becoming airborne, the airplane, "...began to shake severely...." The pilot tried to climb; however, the airplane would not climb and it continued to settle. The pilot performed a forced landing in an field, about 3,200 feet from the departure end of the runway. The company director of operations (D/O) reported that when he examined the airplane about 45 minutes later, there was rough granular ice on the top surface of the wing that conformed to the outline of the fuel tanks. The rough granular ice was not found on the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that he elected not to use liquid deicing fluid on the wings because the snow was blowing off of the top of the wings when the airplane was pulled from the hangar. The D/O further reported that the airplane had been refueled with 177 gallons about 2 hours prior to departure and then the airplane was placed in an unheated hangar with the door open. The fuel came from a truck that had been kept in a heated hangar.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.