FlightFollowerFatal Icing Encounter Sends Mooney Into Unrecoverable Spiral
Kirk Franks had just bought his Mooney M20M Bravo after a six-year break from flying. On the morning of October 28, 2021, he filed an IFR flight plan from Arlington, Washington, to Twin Falls, Idaho — and flew directly into the kind of icing encounter that gives even experienced turbocharged-Mooney pilots very little room to recover.
The official record
This occurrence was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board under accident number WPR22FA023. The Board records the event as occurring on 28 October 2021 at Snoqualmie, WA. The aircraft is identified as a MOONEY M20M, registration N40KA. The highest injury level recorded is fatal.
The Board’s record additionally lists phase of flight recorded as enroute; enroute, weather conditions recorded as Instrument (IMC), operating under 091.
The investigation is closed. The Board determined the probable cause to be:
The pilot’s decision to fly the airplane into known icing conditions, which resulted in a loss of airplane control and collision with terrain.
NTSB, accident WPR22FA023
A probable cause is the Board’s determination of what brought the occurrence about. It is reached after the investigation closes and supersedes any earlier account, including contemporary reporting and anything inferred from the recording alone.
The full record can be retrieved from the NTSB’s public case system, CAROL, by searching accident number WPR22FA023.
Research and reconstruction
Flight Follower Editorial Team
This reconstruction was researched from official investigation records where they exist, the original air traffic control recording, and contemporary reporting. The aircraft movement, timeline and written account were assembled independently by Flight Follower. Where an investigation is open or no probable cause has been published, the account says so rather than offering one.
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Accident Facts
- Accident
- WPR22FA023
- Date
- October 28, 2021, about 9:11 a.m. PDT
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20M / 257 TLS Bravo
- Registration
- N40KA
- Route
- Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO), WA → Magic Valley Regional Airport (TWC), Twin Falls, ID
- Location
- Near Snoqualmie / North Bend, Washington
- Operation
- Part 91 personal flight
- Fatalities
- 1 (pilot)
- Probable cause
- The aircraft most likely encountered severe structural icing, resulting in a loss of control and collision with terrain
A Weather Briefing With a Warning Already in It
Before departure, Franks received a weather briefing that flagged icing conditions along his planned route. He filed IFR anyway and departed Arlington Municipal Airport at about 8:42 a.m., climbing toward the Cascades on a route that would take him near Snoqualmie Pass.
Climbing Toward the Ice, Not Away From It
As the Mooney climbed, air traffic control advised Franks of multiple pilot reports of icing between 12,000 and 18,000 feet — precisely the altitude band he was climbing through. Controllers offered him 19,000 feet to try to get above the icing layer. Franks accepted.
He never reached it. While climbing through approximately 16,300 feet, the aircraft suddenly entered a rapid, descending spiral.
The Radio Told the Story
Franks's transmissions became unreadable as the spiral developed. Another pilot in the area relayed that he had reported being out of control. Radar contact was lost shortly after. The aircraft descended from 16,300 feet through 11,300 feet with erratic turns before radar and radio contact ended near Snoqualmie, over mountainous terrain roughly 47 miles southeast of Arlington.
What Investigators Ruled Out
Investigators found no evidence of a mechanical failure that could explain the loss of control. The airframe, engine, and flight controls showed nothing that would have prevented normal flight. That absence of a mechanical explanation, combined with the icing PIREPs and the altitude at which the upset began, pointed the investigation toward the airplane itself rather than a broken part.
A Prohibition the Aircraft Manual Was Explicit About
The Mooney's flight manual specifically prohibited intentional flight into known icing conditions. Franks had accepted a climb into an altitude band where other pilots were actively reporting ice. Investigators also noted that his logbook contained no record of a recent instrument proficiency check — a gap that may have affected his ability to manage the emergency once the airplane began to depart controlled flight.
The Six-Year Gap
Franks had recently returned to flying after six years away from the cockpit, and had just purchased the Bravo. A turbocharged, pressurized Mooney at altitude in icing conditions is a demanding combination for any pilot; for one returning to instrument flying after a long layoff, the margin for a rapid, unexpected upset narrows further.
The NTSB's Conclusion
The investigation concluded that the aircraft most likely encountered severe structural icing, leading to a loss of control and collision with terrain.
Sources
Primary Investigation Reference
NTSB accident number: WPR22FA023