Narrative:

From my motel room in albuquerque, I received a WX briefing from abq FSS. The briefer suggested an altitude of 13000 ft, since he had a PIREP of tops at 11000 ft. He advised me of a chance of rime or mixed icing, but he had no reports of known icing in his file. I took his suggestion and filed a flight plan of 13000 ft using V234 direct as my routing. V234 has an MEA of 10000 ft. At about XA45 I departed off runway 12 and at approximately 7000 ft or 8000 ft was given an assigned heading of 030 degrees and clearance to climb to 13000 ft. At approximately 10000 ft, my airplane started collecting ice on its wings and fuel caps. Continuing my climb, looking for the tops at 11000 ft, my airplane was collecting more and more ice. At 11000 ft, I was still in solid IFR conditions with no sign of the tops anywhere. At this time, the airplane refused to climb any further. I knew I had high terrain below and needed to escape from these clouds somehow and quickly. I asked center, who I was now talking to, for lower and an area where VFR conditions existed. Since center was not able to comply, I requested an immediate return to abq, there I knew VFR conditions existed. I was then xferred to ZAB. The ZAB controller did a fantastic job of vectoring me around high terrain to get me to a lower altitude as soon as possible. His restr of altitude from terrain was not low enough to provide VFR conditions, so in order to provide a lower altitude, we agreed to declare an emergency so that he could break the altitude restr. He cleared me to 8500 ft, but I was still in solid IFR, and still collecting ice at an unbelievable rate. Within 2 mi, he was able to clear me to 7500 ft, at which time I finally broke out of the clouds. The abq airport was at 12 O'clock and I was clear of clouds, and, of course, ice. As I approached the airport, ice chunks started to break away from the airplane. Just as I thought my nightmare was over, at an approximately 2 mi final for runway 30, a chunk of ice must have broken away from the elevator. The airplane dived downward just for an instant, however, recovery was obtained by readjusting trim. I approached the runway at a high rate of speed without the use of flaps in order to maintain control. A safe landing was made. Once I was on the ground, a lineman at FBO and I inspected the airplane. We found an inch of ice remaining on the left wing. The right wing was clean of ice, apparently breaking off during descent. The elevator was clean of ice as well, but the wheel pants, antennae, and cowling were coated. Since the date of the letter, abq FSDO advised me that I was advised of known icing during climb out. I don't recall this message, however, the transcripts of conversation indicate it is so. The transcript reads: 'we have reports of icing between 9000 ft and 11000 ft east of the airport. Would you like to climb to 13000 ft?' I assumed that 13000 ft was the safest route to take to avoid the ice, so I accepted. I encountered ice shortly thereafter. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the pilot said that he had never been in icing before and was surprised by the rapid buildup and the effect that it had on the aircraft's performance. He said that he was very concerned that he would not be able to make it back to the airport. After landing, he was surprised at the thickness of the ice on the left wing and other portions of the aircraft. During this approach he had to hold a large amount of right wing down correction to correct for the 1 inch thickness of ice remaining on the left wing. The pilot admitted that the departure controller transmitted an actual icing report to him during the climb out, but says that he did not hear it or at least recall it. He has completed a remedial WX training course as required by the abq FSDO and he vows that he will never do something like this again.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 PLT ENCOUNTERS ICING DURING CLBOUT OVER HIGH TERRAIN AND IS UNABLE TO CONTINUE THE CLB TO GET ABOVE THE CLOUDS. HE WAS ABLE, WITH SOME DIFFICULTY, TO RETURN LAND.

Narrative: FROM MY MOTEL ROOM IN ALBUQUERQUE, I RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING FROM ABQ FSS. THE BRIEFER SUGGESTED AN ALT OF 13000 FT, SINCE HE HAD A PIREP OF TOPS AT 11000 FT. HE ADVISED ME OF A CHANCE OF RIME OR MIXED ICING, BUT HE HAD NO RPTS OF KNOWN ICING IN HIS FILE. I TOOK HIS SUGGESTION AND FILED A FLT PLAN OF 13000 FT USING V234 DIRECT AS MY ROUTING. V234 HAS AN MEA OF 10000 FT. AT ABOUT XA45 I DEPARTED OFF RWY 12 AND AT APPROX 7000 FT OR 8000 FT WAS GIVEN AN ASSIGNED HDG OF 030 DEGS AND CLRNC TO CLB TO 13000 FT. AT APPROX 10000 FT, MY AIRPLANE STARTED COLLECTING ICE ON ITS WINGS AND FUEL CAPS. CONTINUING MY CLB, LOOKING FOR THE TOPS AT 11000 FT, MY AIRPLANE WAS COLLECTING MORE AND MORE ICE. AT 11000 FT, I WAS STILL IN SOLID IFR CONDITIONS WITH NO SIGN OF THE TOPS ANYWHERE. AT THIS TIME, THE AIRPLANE REFUSED TO CLB ANY FURTHER. I KNEW I HAD HIGH TERRAIN BELOW AND NEEDED TO ESCAPE FROM THESE CLOUDS SOMEHOW AND QUICKLY. I ASKED CTR, WHO I WAS NOW TALKING TO, FOR LOWER AND AN AREA WHERE VFR CONDITIONS EXISTED. SINCE CTR WAS NOT ABLE TO COMPLY, I REQUESTED AN IMMEDIATE RETURN TO ABQ, THERE I KNEW VFR CONDITIONS EXISTED. I WAS THEN XFERRED TO ZAB. THE ZAB CTLR DID A FANTASTIC JOB OF VECTORING ME AROUND HIGH TERRAIN TO GET ME TO A LOWER ALT ASAP. HIS RESTR OF ALT FROM TERRAIN WAS NOT LOW ENOUGH TO PROVIDE VFR CONDITIONS, SO IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A LOWER ALT, WE AGREED TO DECLARE AN EMER SO THAT HE COULD BREAK THE ALT RESTR. HE CLRED ME TO 8500 FT, BUT I WAS STILL IN SOLID IFR, AND STILL COLLECTING ICE AT AN UNBELIEVABLE RATE. WITHIN 2 MI, HE WAS ABLE TO CLR ME TO 7500 FT, AT WHICH TIME I FINALLY BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS. THE ABQ ARPT WAS AT 12 O'CLOCK AND I WAS CLR OF CLOUDS, AND, OF COURSE, ICE. AS I APCHED THE ARPT, ICE CHUNKS STARTED TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE AIRPLANE. JUST AS I THOUGHT MY NIGHTMARE WAS OVER, AT AN APPROX 2 MI FINAL FOR RWY 30, A CHUNK OF ICE MUST HAVE BROKEN AWAY FROM THE ELEVATOR. THE AIRPLANE DIVED DOWNWARD JUST FOR AN INSTANT, HOWEVER, RECOVERY WAS OBTAINED BY READJUSTING TRIM. I APCHED THE RWY AT A HIGH RATE OF SPD WITHOUT THE USE OF FLAPS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN CTL. A SAFE LNDG WAS MADE. ONCE I WAS ON THE GND, A LINEMAN AT FBO AND I INSPECTED THE AIRPLANE. WE FOUND AN INCH OF ICE REMAINING ON THE L WING. THE R WING WAS CLEAN OF ICE, APPARENTLY BREAKING OFF DURING DSCNT. THE ELEVATOR WAS CLEAN OF ICE AS WELL, BUT THE WHEEL PANTS, ANTENNAE, AND COWLING WERE COATED. SINCE THE DATE OF THE LTR, ABQ FSDO ADVISED ME THAT I WAS ADVISED OF KNOWN ICING DURING CLBOUT. I DON'T RECALL THIS MESSAGE, HOWEVER, THE TRANSCRIPTS OF CONVERSATION INDICATE IT IS SO. THE TRANSCRIPT READS: 'WE HAVE RPTS OF ICING BTWN 9000 FT AND 11000 FT E OF THE ARPT. WOULD YOU LIKE TO CLB TO 13000 FT?' I ASSUMED THAT 13000 FT WAS THE SAFEST RTE TO TAKE TO AVOID THE ICE, SO I ACCEPTED. I ENCOUNTERED ICE SHORTLY THEREAFTER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE PLT SAID THAT HE HAD NEVER BEEN IN ICING BEFORE AND WAS SURPRISED BY THE RAPID BUILDUP AND THE EFFECT THAT IT HAD ON THE ACFT'S PERFORMANCE. HE SAID THAT HE WAS VERY CONCERNED THAT HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE IT BACK TO THE ARPT. AFTER LNDG, HE WAS SURPRISED AT THE THICKNESS OF THE ICE ON THE L WING AND OTHER PORTIONS OF THE ACFT. DURING THIS APCH HE HAD TO HOLD A LARGE AMOUNT OF R WING DOWN CORRECTION TO CORRECT FOR THE 1 INCH THICKNESS OF ICE REMAINING ON THE L WING. THE PLT ADMITTED THAT THE DEP CTLR XMITTED AN ACTUAL ICING RPT TO HIM DURING THE CLBOUT, BUT SAYS THAT HE DID NOT HEAR IT OR AT LEAST RECALL IT. HE HAS COMPLETED A REMEDIAL WX TRAINING COURSE AS REQUIRED BY THE ABQ FSDO AND HE VOWS THAT HE WILL NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.