Aftermath: Ice Is Where You Find It

Peter Garrison

Friday, August 07, 2015 at 11:33 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A B36TC Bonanza with five occupants crashed in mountainous terrain after encountering rapid and severe airframe and induction icing, leading to an inability to maintain altitude and eventual engine power loss.
Despite ATC guidance towards a safer airport, the pilot chose to divert to Johnson Creek, a dangerous and unmaintained winter airstrip, ultimately colliding with a ridge.
The NTSB determined induction icing was the likely cause of power loss, highlighting the aircraft's non-equipped status for known icing and the pilot's failure to implement a timely and viable exit strategy from the rapidly deteriorating conditions.

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It was a little after noon on a cloudy December day when a B36TC Bonanza with five aboard climbed out of Baker City, in northeastern Oregon, bound for Butte, Montana, 234 nm away. A few minutes after takeoff the pilot called Salt Lake Center to activate his IFR flight plan. He was cleared direct to the Donnelly VOR (DNJ), then via Victor 121 at 13,000 feet.

Fifteen minutes later, when the Bonanza was a few miles past Donnelly, the controller noticed that it was not on the airway. He provided the customary nudge: “N36ML, just confirm you’re level 13,000, established on the airway Victor 121.”