History of Flight
On May 18, 2011, at approximately 1115 mountain daylight time, a Bellanca 17-30A Viking, registration N93577, struck terrain roughly 40 miles northeast of Rock Springs, Wyoming. The private pilot and his passenger were killed, and the airplane was destroyed. The personal cross-country flight departed Pinedale, Wyoming, about 37 minutes earlier and was en route to Fort Collins, Colorado. The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91 and was conducted through areas of multiple layered overcast, broken cloud formations, and light rain. No flight plan was filed, and no Emergency Locator Transmitter activation was reported.
The day before, at 1217, the pilot contacted Lockheed Martin Flight Service and requested an abbreviated briefing for a VFR flight from Pinedale to Fort Collins. He mentioned that weather along the route had mountain obscuration and that VFR flight was not recommended. The briefer issued AIRMETs for IFR conditions, moderate icing, moderate turbulence, and a Convective SIGMET for possible thunderstorms. The pilot expressed concerns about marginal VFR at Lander and IFR at Rock Springs. He was informed that the weather pattern was expected to persist for another 24 to 36 hours, with low pressure, showers, and snow along the route. The pilot commented he could "live with" a 4,000-foot ceiling and would "dodge the showers." The briefing lasted about seven minutes; the pilot terminated it after noting it was starting to snow in Pinedale.
The next morning, the pilot did not obtain an updated weather briefing. He departed Pinedale around 1038 and climbed to about 9,300 feet MSL, then varied his heading while maintaining altitude near 9,000 feet. At about 1110, he turned right and climbed to 11,000 feet. Radar showed the airplane encountered the western edge of rain shower bands where icing conditions within precipitation were favorable. At 1114, the airplane entered a descending right turn, descending roughly 2,800 feet in 30 seconds (about 5,800 feet per minute). Radar contact was lost as the airplane passed through 8,000 feet. The impact site was at 42°10′40.95″N, 108°47′50.12″W, about one-tenth mile west of the last radar return.
The pilot was not in contact with air traffic control while en route. Family members reported the aircraft missing after it failed to arrive, prompting an alert notice.
Personnel Information
The 55-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating but no instrument rating. His most recent third-class medical was issued April 4, 2010. His last flight review was March 23, 2010. As of December 2010, he had logged about 3,040 total flight hours, including 1,330 hours in the Bellanca 17-30A.
Aircraft Information
The 1973 Bellanca 17-30A Viking (serial number 73-30591) was powered by a Teledyne Continental Motors IO-520-K engine and a three-bladed Hartzell propeller. Its last annual inspection was on May 18, 2010, at which time the airframe had 4,632.2 hours and the engine 1,423.2 hours since new.
Meteorological Information
A 1054 METAR at Rock Springs, about 40 miles southwest of the accident site, reported wind from 100° at 15 knots gusting to 19 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, light rain showers, broken ceiling at 1,700 feet, broken layer at 2,400 feet, overcast at 5,000 feet, temperature 6°C, dew point 2°C, and altimeter 29.62 inHg. A band of rain showers moved northward through the area. The freezing level was 8,000 feet. Radar returns were likely supercooled liquid water droplets, making icing conditions favorable. At 1100, moderate icing was probable at 11,000 and 13,000 feet. Cloud tops were just below 17,000 feet. Winds from the surface to 20,000 feet were 15 to 25 knots. Icing severity charts showed bands of Supercooled Large Droplet (SLD) conditions at 11,000 and 13,000 feet in the accident area.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane struck the sandy desert with sufficient energy to create a rounded crater about 10 feet in diameter and over 2 feet deep. A dirt berm along the northern edge suggested a generally northern impact track. Most wreckage was within 5 to 10 feet of the crater, though small parts like fuel tanks were thrown up to 200 feet. The right wing outboard structure—including the flap, aileron, wing tip, and spar sections—was found up to one-half mile south of the main site.
At the main site, nearly all structure was severely impact-damaged, with most components torn, crushed, and splintered. Only the landing gear, left flap, and left aileron retained original form. The empennage was bent and twisted. The separated right wing components showed minimal terrain impact damage; the right flap maintained its preimpact shape except for minor distortion. The right aileron remained attached to the aft spar, with a buckled trailing edge section. Wing spar fractures exhibited no evidence of preexisting fatigue or deterioration.
The wreckage was recovered to Beegles Aircraft Service in Greeley, Colorado. Examination of the engine and accessories revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have prevented normal power production. Propeller blades exhibited leading edge damage, chordwise scratching, and arching bends consistent with engine operation at impact. Flight control continuity could not be determined due to impact damage.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy determined the pilot's cause of death as massive blunt trauma, manner accidental. Toxicological testing showed negative ethanol, but an undefined concentration of diphenhydramine was detected in kidney tissue. Carbon monoxide and cyanide tests were not performed.