What happened
During pre-flight weather briefings, the pilot was informed that icing conditions were present in the Denver area. As the aircraft approached the airport, the pilot transmitted a radio message stating, "Can you get me down, it's a little bit icy up here." Air traffic control subsequently instructed the pilot to execute a close turn onto the outer marker.
The aircraft was observed flying over the airport at an altitude of approximately 500 feet above ground level. The pilot acknowledged instructions for a missed approach procedure. One minute later, the pilot reported having "lots of ice" and stated that the aircraft was "stalling out."
The investigation
An examination of the pilot's background revealed that the individual reportedly avoided flying approaches to minimums and had set the altitude alerting system to an altitude higher than the published minimums as a safety margin. The pilot had logged 3.5 hours of actual instrument flight time and 4.1 hours of simulated instrument time, along with three instrument approaches in the preceding six months.
A critical mechanical finding was that the aircraft's center of gravity was located 6 inches aft of the aft center of gravity limit. This condition significantly degraded the aircraft's longitudinal stability and control authority during the approach phase.