Accident Overview
On November 16, 2020, about 0604 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 150L, registration N18666, was destroyed when it crashed near Colton, Oregon. The pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Flight History
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control recordings and Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) track data, the pilot departed McNary Field Airport (SLE), Salem, Oregon, about 0515, on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan with a destination of Portland-Troutdale (TTD) Airport, Portland, Oregon. Shortly after departure, the pilot cancelled his IFR flight plan and stated that he was bypassing TTD and proceeding to Eastern Oregon Regional Airport at Pendleton (PDT), Pendleton, Oregon. The controller advised the pilot of precipitation depicted northwest of Mount Hood and stated that the pilot could obtain an IFR flight plan if needed.
About 10 minutes later, the pilot requested visual flight rules (VFR) flight following to Baker City Municipal Airport (BKE), Baker City, Oregon, and stated his intention to fly north of Mount Hood along the Columbia River Gorge. The controller reported light to moderate precipitation northwest of Mount Hood, but noted that the area south of Mount Hood appeared clear. The pilot acknowledged and said he would stay south of Mount Hood if he could remain clear of terrain. The controller instructed the pilot to resume his own navigation and advised that he could activate an IFR clearance if needed, but the pilot declined. ADS-B data subsequently showed the airplane tracking largely to the southeast before making a series of left and right turns on a modal track to the south-southwest.
About 0600, with ADS-B data showing the airplane between 6800-6900 ft mean sea level (msl) tracking southwest, the pilot contacted the controller and requested an IFR clearance to SLE. When asked to confirm the destination, the pilot requested an IFR clearance to BKE and, when confirming equipment on board, stated he had VOR, GPS, and ADS-B in. Shortly thereafter, the pilot declared an emergency and reported pitot system icing. The controller asked if the pilot was able to climb, and the pilot responded that he thought he was climbing. About one minute later, the pilot asked the controller to verify the airplane’s altitude. There were no further transmissions from the accident airplane.
The airplane momentarily flew to the northeast, then appeared to enter a descending left turn, shortly after which radar and radio contact was lost. The final minute of ADS-B data recorded by the FAA showed that the airplane lost about 800 feet of altitude in about 37 seconds, followed by the loss of another 1000 feet of altitude in the remaining period before received data stopped at 4900 ft msl. According to coordinates provided by first responders, the elevation at the accident site was about 2500 ft msl.
Weather Conditions
FAA contract Flight Service Station (FSS) provider Leidos did not provide the pilot any preflight weather briefings but was contacted at 0506 when the pilot activated his IFR clearance. At that time, the pilot was advised of several AIRMET advisories current for the route of flight for IFR, mountain obscuration, icing, turbulence, and low-level wind shear, and was advised that current radar depicted several scattered moderate rain showers across the region. The pilot filed his IFR flight plan through ForeFlight at 0502 for an estimated departure time of 0510 and viewed weather imagery through the ForeFlight app, including forecast charts from current conditions and the 12/24-hour Low-Level Significant Weather Prognostic Chart.
At the time of the accident, the sun was 11° below the horizon, and official nighttime prevailed. The moon was 28° below the horizon, and the phase was a waxing crescent with 3% illumination. The closest weather reporting facility to the accident site was Aurora State Airport (UAO), about 29 miles west, which recorded wind from 360° at 6 knots, visibility of 10 miles or more, ceiling broken at 5,500 ft agl, overcast at 8,000 ft agl, temperature 8°C, dew point 7°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.02 inches of mercury. A base reflectivity image depicted very light intensity echoes over the flight path, supporting light precipitation and clouds at the airplane’s cruise altitude. The freezing level in the area varied from 7,172 ft to 9,272 ft msl, but in both soundings, the freezing level was above the airplane’s cruise altitude.
Wreckage Information
The highly fragmented wreckage was located by search crews on November 17 in an area of steep, heavily wooded, mountainous terrain that had been burned by recent wildfires. The wreckage was not recovered due to its remote location.