No fatalities

Aircraft Stalls on Final Approach After Structural Icing Accumulation

Colorado Springs, CO, United States

On October 5, 2012, a PIPER PA-24-250 operated by SIX ONE PAPA LLC was involved in an aviation accident near Colorado Springs, CO. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during the landing with known structural icing, which resulted in the airplane’s stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to divert to an area where conditions were not conducive to icing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported structural ice accumulation and requested lower altitude but was unable due to ATC constraints. On short final, the aircraft stalled and impacted terrain, sustaining substantial wing damage.

Background

A pilot was assigned an altitude by an air traffic controller and observed the accumulation of one and a half to two inches of structural ice on the aircraft. The pilot requested a lower altitude, but the controller could not accommodate the request because of the minimum vectoring altitude in the area.

Flight Events

During the approach pattern, the pilot maintained an elevated airspeed to manage the icing conditions. However, on short final, the pilot reduced power, and the aircraft stalled at approximately 105 miles per hour. The aircraft subsequently struck the ground short of the runway.

Damage

The accident resulted in substantial damage to both the left and right wings of the airplane.

Pilot's Report

The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the aircraft during the flight. In a safety recommendation, the pilot indicated that a preferable course of action would have been to seek an ice-free solution, which would have been located behind the original flight path.

Contributing factors

Causes

PilotAirspeed — Not attained/maintainedEffect on equipment

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome