Socata TBM 700 N850LM accident near Madison, Wisconsin

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to ensure that ice and snow were removed from the airplane’s surfaces during the preflight inspection, which resulted in an inadvertent aerodynamic stall after takeoff and loss of control of the airplane.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that moderate rime ice had accumulated on the airplane during the inbound flight to the fixed-base operator (FBO). FBO employees reported seeing 1 1/2- to 2-inch thick ice on the wings' unprotected surfaces, the left wing's radome, and the propeller spinner and around the stall indicator when the airplane arrived. The pilot removed some of the ice with his hand and declined an offer to have the airplane deiced or put it in a heated hangar. Subsequently, the airplane was parked outside at the FBO for about 1 hour, during which time it was snowing and sleeting. Witnesses reported that they did not see the pilot check the tail surfaces for ice and that, when the airplane taxied for takeoff, they saw ice on portions of the airplane, including the radome, and snow on the wings' surfaces. The pilot reported that, during takeoff, the left wing dropped and was not generating lift, likely due to the ice on the airplane's surface. The airplane veered left, impacted terrain, and then caught on fire before coming to rest. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any failure that would have resulted in the loss of control.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN12LA153 for the full record.