Accident Details
The pilot was conducting a circling approach for landing in instrument icing conditions with the landing gear extended and flaps lowered to 15 degrees. The alternate air induction system was not activated. According to a surviving passenger, when the airplane exited the clouds, it began to buffet and shake. A fixed base operator and a lineman heard the pilot state on the UNICOM frequency, "Emergency engine ice." The airplane was observed to bank at a 60-degree angle before colliding with trees and terrain.
Pilot Actions
The Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) specifies that the airplane will stall at 129 miles per hour with the landing gear and flaps down at 15 degrees. The pilot had flown one other known flight in icing conditions prior to the accident flight, according to witnesses who knew the pilot.
Aircraft Information
The accident aircraft was a Cessna 414. Its maximum landing weight is 6,430 pounds. The total aircraft weight at the crash site was 6,568.52 pounds, exceeding the maximum landing weight.
Investigation Findings
The probable cause of the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering in icing conditions on a circling approach for landing, resulting in an inadvertent stall and collision with trees and terrain. Contributing factors were a partial loss of engine power due to the pilot's failure to activate the alternate induction air system, and exceeding the maximum landing weight of the airplane.