What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Low over Lake to look for landing on ice. Hit rough ice. Sheared wings and landing gear. (.4)the pilot said he was observing the airplane's shadow as he made a low pass over a snow covered frozen Lake at 50 feet. He said he went under a cloud, lost his shadow, and encountered whiteout conditions. The pilot said he could not tell where the Lake's surface was because he could no longer see his shadow. He pulled up to gain altitude, but the main landing gear contacted the ice, shearing them off. The wing struts overloaded and broke off on the subsequent bounce. Several publications on winter flying describe whiteout conditions. One book describes the pilots encounter as 'overcast whiteout.' (-23)on January 20, 1998, at approxiamtely 1100 CDT, nerstrom (tailwind) W-8, N12038, registered to and operated by privacy data omitted impacted a snow covered area of Lake Wisconsin, Lodi, Wisconsin, on a personal flight codnucted under 14 CFR 91 while observing the Lake surface for a possible landing area. VFR conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and the pilot suffered no injuries. Investigation revealed the aircraft was at an altitude such that is allowed the landing gear to contact the snow covered surface shearing the left landing gear and subsequently both wings from the fuselage; the fuselage remaining intact and continuing across the surface coming to rest on its nose approximately 750 feet from the initial point of contact.
As the FAA filed it
LOW OVER LAKE TO LOOK FOR LANDING ON ICE. HIT ROUGH ICE. SHEARED WINGS AND LANDING GEAR. (.4)THE PILOT SAID HE WAS OBSERVING THE AIRPLANE'S SHADOW AS HE MADE A LOW PASS OVER A SNOW COVERED FROZEN LAKE AT 50 FEET. HE SAID HE WENT UNDER A CLOUD, LOST HIS SHADOW, AND ENCOUNTERED WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. THE PILOT SAID HE COULD NOT TELL WHERE THE LAKE'S SURFACE WAS BECAUSE HE COULD NO LONGER SEE HIS SHADOW. HE PULLED UP TO GAIN ALTITUDE, BUT THE MAIN LANDING GEAR CONTACTED THE ICE, SHEARING THEM OFF. THE WING STRUTS OVERLOADED AND BROKE OFF ON THE SUBSEQUENT BOUNCE. SEVERAL PUBLICATIONS ON WINTER FLYING DESCRIBE WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. ONE BOOK DESCRIBES THE PILOTS ENCOUNTER AS 'OVERCAST WHITEOUT.' (-23)ON JANUARY 20, 1998, AT APPROXIAMTELY 1100 CDT, NERSTROM (TAILWIND) W-8, N12038, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IMPACTED A SNOW COVERED AREA OF LAKE WISCONSIN, LODI, WISCONSIN, ON A PERSONAL FLIGHT CODNUCTED UNDER 14 CFR 91 WHILE OBSERVING THE LAKE SURFACE FOR A POSSIBLE LANDING AREA. VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT AND THE PILOT SUFFERED NO INJURIES. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT AN ALTITUDE SUCH THAT IS ALLOWED THE LANDING GEAR TO CONTACT THE SNOW COVERED SURFACE SHEARING THE LEFT LANDING GEAR AND SUBSEQUENTLY BOTH WINGS FROM THE FUSELAGE; THE FUSELAGE REMAINING INTACT AND CONTINUING ACROSS THE SURFACE COMING TO REST ON ITS NOSE APPROXIMATELY 750 FEET FROM THE INITIAL POINT OF CONTACT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.