Cause of the Crash

Tommy's note indicates that an icing condition brought down his plane. His note was written on a page taken from his instrument record log. A log entry reveals he was flying at an average height of 1600 ft ASL (above sea level) for about three hours before the crash. It is very possible that he was flying clear of cloud, that was, until he approached Newfoundland. Just off the coast he encountered a cold front and the plane developed icing conditions. As his aircraft flew deeper over Newfoundland it passed ever rising terrain. When the plane was no longer able to climb, he decided to look for a good place to put down. He went down on a rocky area that sloped downhill and to the left. We theorized the plane's right wheel made contact with a rock. It then caused the aircraft to spin quickly in a clockwise direction. At that point he ran out of semi-level ground and the plane fell into a small hollow. The plane's tail wheel, propeller and wing tips were damaged, which supports the theory of a flat spin landing.