History of Flight
On December 18, 2012, about 1825 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-31-350, registration N62959, was lost from FAA radio and radar contact approximately 10 miles southwest of Payson, Arizona, during an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX). The wreckage was located the following day; the pilot had received fatal injuries and the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight was operated by Ameriflight as Flight 3853, a cargo flight for United Parcel Service (UPS), under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the vicinity at the time contact was lost.
The flight departed Holbrook Municipal Airport (P14) about its scheduled time of 1700, with an estimated arrival at Payson Airport (PAN) at 1730. The UPS driver scheduled to meet the flight at PAN reported that he never saw or heard the airplane and left about 20 minutes after the flight was due.
According to FAA ATC information, the flight's first ATC contact was with Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZAB) about 1812, when the airplane was at approximately 13,500 feet. The pilot requested a clearance to PHX, was assigned a discrete transponder code, radar identified, and cleared direct to PHX with an altitude crossing restriction. Shortly after reaching the assigned altitude, the pilot requested a lower altitude, which was denied due to ATC minimum vectoring altitude limitations. Soon after, radio and radar contact was lost.
Weather conditions precluded an aerial search until the following day. About 0950 on December 19, the wreckage was located at the same approximate latitude/longitude as the last radar target, at an elevation of about 7,000 feet. The accident site was about 12.4 miles on a true bearing of about 213 degrees from PAN.
Personnel Information
The 28-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single- and multi-engine land and instrument airplane ratings, as well as a flight instructor certificate. His most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued in August 2012. He was employed by Ameriflight and had about 1,908 total flight hours, including about 346 hours in the accident airplane make and model. His most recent flight review was completed in September 2012 in a BE-99 airplane.
As of March 4, 2011, the pilot had accumulated 1.4 actual and 84.4 simulated instrument hours. The airline did not track pilots' actual or simulated instrument time, and the pilot's logbooks were not located. He was hired in January 2012, initially assigned to the PA-31, then completed training for the BE-99 in September 2012. About a week before the accident, due to holiday logistical requirements, he was transferred back to the PA-31. He expressed to his father that he did not like or trust the ice protection equipment on the PA-31. He flew the PA-31 about 11 hours between the transfer and the accident.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 1976, registered to UAS Transervices Inc. of Pasadena, CA. It was equipped with two Lycoming TIO-540 series engines and two three-blade Hartzell propellers. The airplane was within weight and balance limits with sufficient fuel onboard. Total time in service was about 19,200 hours with about 23,400 flight cycles. The left engine had about 1,300 hours since overhaul; the right engine had about 59 hours since overhaul.
The airplane was equipped with VOR and glide slope navigation equipment, but no weather radar, GPS receiver, or system to receive ground-based weather radar. It was equipped with a Century Altimatic IIIC autopilot capable of roll, pitch, heading, and altitude hold modes. The PA-31 POH/AFM cautioned against overpowering the autopilot pitch axis for more than three seconds and advised against using altitude-hold mode in extreme turbulence.
The airplane was approved for flight into light to moderate icing when equipped with wing and empennage deicing boots, electric propeller deicers, electrically heated windshield, and an ice detection light – all reportedly installed. It was not equipped with the manufacturer's supplemental oxygen system but had a portable system. The airplane had several unscheduled maintenance items related to ice protection systems in April and May 2012; de-ice boot patches were replaced in September 2012, and a pneumatic pump was replaced in October 2012. No subsequent discrepancies or uncorrected items were recorded.
Meteorological Information
The National Weather Service area forecast called for an overcast ceiling at 7,000 feet, tops at FL180, visibilities 3-5 miles with mist, and after 1700 scattered light snow showers, mist, and visibilities around 3 miles. AIRMETs valid for the region warned of IFR conditions, moderate turbulence below 14,000 feet, and moderate icing between 7,000 feet and FL250. Observed data indicated all conditions were present at the accident site at the time.
Upper air data showed the freezing level at about 7,400 feet. Rime and mixed icing was likely between 8,000 and 13,000 feet. Sounding and radar data suggested supercooled liquid water droplets (SLD) were likely at the flight's altitude at the accident time, and that the flight likely encountered SLD several minutes before the accident. The standard PIREP format does not include SLD, so it would not be reported. No SIGMETs were active. Mountain wave activity and updrafts/downdrafts of just over 1,000 fpm were likely near the accident site, with the last radar target in a downdraft of 600-1,000 fpm.
ATC controllers had access to METARs, TAFs, AIRMETs, and PIREPs, but the controller did not pass any weather information to the pilot. The investigation could not determine if the controller was aware of the AIRMETs or PIREPs. The pilot's weather briefing methods were not determined; he did not contact flight service or DUAT/DUATS, and the airplane lacked in-flight weather data sources.
Accident Site and Wreckage
The wreckage was at approximately 7,000 feet elevation, consistent with the last radar position. No further analysis of the wreckage is included in this summary based on available source information.