Aircraft Crash Near Parker, Colorado Due to Icing (N456L)

Incident OverviewApproximately 9.5 minutes after departing from Denver-Arapahoe County Airport, the crew of an aircraft declared an emergency while climbing, reporting airframe icing. The crew was subsequently vectored to Denver-Stapleton International Airport. However, the aircraft entered a controlled descent and crashed in a prairie located about 13 miles east of Arapahoe Airport, northeast of Parker, Colorado. The aircraft was totally destroyed upon impact, and all 10 occupants were killed.## Probable CauseThe official investigation determined that the probable cause of the accident was the rapid accumulation of ice on the underwing surface aft of the deicing boots, which destroyed the aircraft's capability to maintain level flight. Contributing factors included the flightcrew's failure to obtain a current weather briefing before departure, failure to make a timely decision to discontinue the climb and return to Arapahoe Airport, and operation of the over-gross-weight aircraft at high angles of attack in severe icing conditions.