What happened
The aircraft was operating under instrument flight rules while en route over Fort Bridger, Wyoming. During the flight, the pilot encountered moderate turbulence and adverse weather conditions. Attempting to climb above the icing layer, the aircraft accumulated ice on its surfaces.
Instrument readings indicated a rapid descent, prompting the pilot to initiate a forced landing. The pilot selected a road as the landing site. Upon touchdown, strong winds affected the ground handling of the aircraft. The wind force lifted the aircraft laterally, pushing it sideways into a ditch adjacent to the road.
The investigation
The investigation relied primarily on the pilot's statement regarding the sequence of events. The pilot confirmed the encounter with moderate turbulence and the subsequent accumulation of ice. The mechanical state of the aircraft was not detailed in the provided source text beyond the instrument indications at the time of the incident.
Findings
Contributing factors included the environmental conditions and the resulting loss of control on the ground. The primary elements were:
- Moderate turbulence encountered during flight
- Instrument flight rules conditions over Fort Bridger, Wyoming
- Accumulation of ice on the aircraft structure
- Rapid descent indicated by altimeter and vertical speed indicator
- Strong winds during the forced landing phase causing lateral displacement into a ditch