On December 13, 1983, a Beech A-36 (registration N2149L) was involved in an aviation accident near Harrison, AR. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing flare, which resulted in a stall and hard landing, exacerbated by the aircraft entering an area of icing without notifying air traffic control. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
The aircraft encountered icing conditions, stalled during a high flare at 15 feet, and made a hard landing followed by a groundloop.
What happened
The aircraft entered an area of icing but did not notify the air traffic control center about the problem. Although no emergency was declared, the pilot indicated that he could not climb to an assigned altitude after descending in an attempt to lose ice accumulation.
During the landing phase, the aircraft stalled while flaring at a height of 15 feet. This resulted in a hard landing followed by a groundloop.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the operational factors leading to the stall and subsequent loss of control during the final approach and landing. The lack of communication regarding icing conditions was noted as a significant factor in the sequence of events.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing flare, which resulted in a stall and hard landing, exacerbated by the aircraft entering an area of icing without notifying air traffic control.