Piper PA-32-260 · NTSB accident record

A Little Moisture in the CloudsERA24FA176

An IFR departure into forecast icing in an airplane placarded for non-icing operations only

Date
Friday, April 12, 2024
Time
~4:16 PM EDT
Weather
VMC at field · scattered 5,000 / overcast 7,500 ft · 10 SM light rain · wind 280 at 13 gust 24 kt · 57°F · AIRMET icing aloft
Location
McGhee Tyson (KTYS), Knoxville, TN — Runway 23L
Age
45
Hours in type (Piper PA-32R)
419 hrs
Today's leg
TYSKnoxville, TN
GRRGrand Rapids, MI
Aircraft
Model
Piper PA-32R-301 (retractable Saratoga)
Engine
Lycoming IO-540, 300 hp
Limitation
Non-icing operations only; no de-ice equipment
The plan

It's Friday afternoon, April 12, 2024, at McGhee Tyson (TYS) in Knoxville. You're headed home to Grand Rapids (GRR) in your Piper PA-32R-301, IFR, as filed.

The briefing

You filed through ForeFlight. The briefing came back with icing along the route.

What the briefing showed
AIRMETs
Icing, mountain obscuration, moderate turbulence
Icing chart
Moderate icing at 6,000 ft and above, first half of route
Cloud bases / tops
4,500–5,000 ft / ~18,500 ft
Freezing level
~5,500 ft
The airplane

The flight manual limits this airplane to non-icing operations only, with a placard in your view. It carries no anti-ice or de-ice equipment.

At the field

Wind 280° at 13 gusting 24, ten miles in light rain, scattered 5,000, broken 6,500, overcast 7,500. The ATIS carries a low-level wind shear advisory. You're cleared to GRR as filed. The engine is running.

By the numbers
30
airframe-icing accidents
2
a year
43%
were survivable
34
lives lost in them
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The decision

You're cleared IFR into a layer forecast for icing, in an airplane placarded against it. What do you do?