Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Mccall, Idaho 83635
Sunday, April 27, 2003 11:00 MDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
While en route to Copenhaver Ranch Airstrip, the pilot entered an area of rapidly building cumulus clouds. Although he climbed to 14,500 feet in order to attempt to fly over the top of the clouds, he found that the clouds were building faster than the aircraft could climb. He therefore inadvertently entered the cloud formation and soon encountered icing conditions. As ice began to accumulate on the aircraft, the pilot entered a rapid dive to about 9,000 feet, but when he leveled off ice continued to accumulate, and the pilot felt the aircraft was near stalling. About that time he saw an opening in the clouds and observed what he thought was Box Lake. He therefore descended through the hole and found himself in a heavy snowstorm over the lake. He flew around the lake a few times, but could not find a way to escape the instrument conditions. Then, because more ice was accumulating, the pilot made the decision to attempt a precautionary landing near the shoreline of the Lake. During the touchdown on snow that was ultimately determined to be more than ten feet thick, the aircraft collided with hidden obstructions and flipped over. The pilot was ultimately rescued two days later by snowmobilers who inadvertently came across the wreckage.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions while maneuvering in the area of rapidly growing cumulus clouds. Factors include the pilot's improper decision to try to out-climb the rising clouds, mountainous terrain, falling snow, icing conditions, and no suitable place on which to make a precautionary landing.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/27/2003 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1100 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Daylight Time |
| Event City | McCall |
| Event State | IDAHO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 83635 |
| Event Date Year | 2003 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 450136N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1155858W |
| Event Location Airport | -- |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | -- |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | -- |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | -- |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Obscured |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 1 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | -- |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 25 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 30 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Heavy |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 13731 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Operations Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 27 2003 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2155 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jul 23 2003 8:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Boise FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N5595B |
| NTSB Number | SEA03LA074 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 182 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 33595 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2550 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Willis W. White |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Boise |
| Aircraft Owner State | ID |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 83709 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | EUL |
| Departure City | Caldwell |
| Departure State | ID |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 930 |
| Departure Time Zone | MDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | -- |
| Destination City | Copenhaver |
| Destination State | ID |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 29 2003 4:47PM |
| User who most recently changed record | STAM |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | -- |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |