A Daher TBM 850 pilot’s failure to clear snow from the airplane and to follow the manufacturer’s anti-icing procedure during continued snowfall led to an aerodynamic stall and loss of control after liftoff in an Oct. 29, 2024 accident at Ralph Wenz Field (KPNA) in Pinedale, Wyoming, according to the NTSB final report. One passenger was seriously injured, and the pilot and five others sustained minor injuries.
Heavy, wet snow fell during the airplane’s 15-minute ground stop. The pilot brushed it off with a foam brush, but a witness saw snow remaining on an outboard wing section. The airport manager said the pilot declined available Type I and Type IV fluids.
Snowfall had eased by the takeoff roll. During rotation, the left wing dropped and struck terrain, and the substantially damaged turboprop single came to rest on a dirt berm about 300 feet from the runway.
A manufacturer service letter warned that takeoffs with snow or ice adhering to the wings “should not be attempted.” Type I fluid, the report noted, offers little protection once snow resumes falling unless takeoff follows deicing almost immediately.
The pilot reported rotating at 85 knots, below the 87 knots calculated for the takeoff weight. Investigators found no pre-crash mechanical failures and cited two earlier accidents in which the type’s left wing dropped after pilots failed to remove snow or ice.
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