CARGO ACFT ENCOUNTERS ICING ON DSCNT. MAKES VERY HARD LNDG.

Date: 1992-11 · Aircraft: Small Transport

Anomalies: inflight-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence|other-unspecified

Synopsis

CARGO ACFT ENCOUNTERS ICING ON DSCNT. MAKES VERY HARD LNDG.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING A CARGO FLT FROM PITTSBURGH TO JOHNSTOWN. ICING WAS FORECAST FROM THE SURFACE TO 4000 FT MSL. MY CRUISING ALT WAS 5000 FT SO I DIDN'T WORRY ABOUT IT MUCH. ABOUT 30 MI FROM JOHNSTOWN; I STARTED GETTING ICE. I REQUESTED 6000 FT AND WAS CLRED. THE ACCUMULATION SEEMED TO STOP SO I STAYED THERE. I HAD ENOUGH ICE TO POP THE BOOTS AND THAT CLRED THE ICE. MY PITOT HEAT; STALL HEAT; PROP HEAT AND WINDSHIELD HOT PLATE WERE ALL ON. I CALLED JOHNSTOWN TWR FOR WX AND WAS TOLD IT WAS BELOW MY MINS. I REQUESTED FROM ZOB THAT I PROCEED TO JST VOR AND TRACK THE LOC OUTBOUND TO HOLD AS PUBLISHED AT THE OM. I WAS CLRED TO DO SO AT 6000 FT. AFTER XING THE VOR I AGAIN CHKED WITH TWR ON THE WX. THEY WERE NOW RPTING -X 20 OVCST 1 S-F 30/30/3110. I TOLD CTR THAT I HAD MY REQUIRED MINS AND I WAS THEN CLRED FOR THE APCH; MAINTAIN 5000 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED. I STAYED AT 6000 FT UNTIL I STARTED MY PROC TURN AND THEN LEVELED AT 5000 FT UNTIL I CROSSED THE MARKER. I STARTED PICKING UP ICE AGAIN WHEN I STARTED DSNDING OUT OF 6000 FT BUT I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS ENOUGH TO POP THE BOOTS AGAIN. ONCE INSIDE THE MARKER; I THOUGHT ABOUT POPPING THE BOOTS BUT DECIDED AGAINST IT BECAUSE IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED. I FLEW THE APCH WITH NO FLAPS AT 125 KTS. AT MDA I LEVELED OFF; CROSSED THE MM AND WITH SEVERAL SECONDS LEFT ON MY TIMER; I SAW THE RWY. BEING AT THE APCH END I REDUCED PWR TO IDLE AND PUSHED THE NOSE DOWN TO MAINTAIN AIRSPD. ABOUT 200 FT AGL I BROUGHT THE PWR UP TO ABOUT 500-600 POUNDS OF TORQUE AND ADDED 10 DEGS FLAPS. GETTING LOWER WITH MORE SINK RATE THAN I WANTED; I ADDED MORE PWR AND FLAPS TO 20 DEGS. ABOUT 50 FT AGL; I ADDED MORE PWR AND STARTED TO BRING THE NOSE UP TO ARREST THE SINK RATE AND THE AIRSPD DROPPED CAUSING AN UNCTLED DSCNT TO THE RWY. THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED ONCE AND THEN I WAS ABLE TO CTL THE AIRPLANE BACK TO THE GND. THE ROLLOUT WAS NORMAL AND TAXI WAS NORMAL. DAMAGE TO THE ACFT WAS THE R MAIN GEAR WAS SLIGHTLY BENT OUTWARD. THE BELLY PAN COVER FOR THE MAIN GEAR CROSSOVER TUBE WAS PUSHED OUT OF PLACE AND THE AFT POD AREA WAS CRACKED AND SCRAPED. THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INCLUDE: GS AND APCH LIGHT SYS WERE INOP. THE ACFT HAD ACCUMULATED FROM 1-1 1/2 INCHES OF ICE ON THE APCH AND MOST IMPORTANTLY; I HAD BEEN SUFFERING FROM A SINUS INFECTION FOR MORE THAN A WK. ALTHOUGH I WAS FEELING BETTER ON THAT DAY; LOOKING BACK I CAN SEE HOW MY JUDGEMENT WAS AFFECTED BY MY DESIRE NOT TO GO TO MY ALTERNATE AND SPEND TIME AWAY FROM A CHANCE TO REST AND RECUPERATE. NOW THAT I AM WELL; I AM AMAZED AT HOW HARD IT WAS TO THINK CLRLY. I AM A CONSERVATIVE PERSON AND ALTHOUGH I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED APCHS IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS IN THE PAST; BEING SICK; I BELIEVE; PUT ME IN A SITUATION WHERE I DIDN'T CHOOSE THE BEST WAY OUT.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.