Cessna 310Q N119RS accident near Romeoville, Illinois

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the approach/landing to compensate for the ice accumulated on the airframe which resulted in a hard landing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that she checked the weather prior to departing on the cross country flight and it appeared that an area of icing had cleared out of the area near the destination airport. While descending through 4,000 feet near the destination, the airplane began to pick up ice quickly. She advised the air traffic controller and cycled the deice boots several times. She reported that she was unable to determine how much ice was accumulating on the airplane and she made the landing approach using normal approach speeds. The airplane touched down hard resulting in substantial damage to the internal structure of the left wing. She reported that after the landing ice was visible along the leading edge of the wings. She stated that she should have maintained a higher airspeed during the approach and landing to prevent the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN11CA199 for the full record.