# Accident 19980311006769A: Piper PA38112, Dubois, ID, March 11, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 11, 1998, 13:30 local time
- Place: Dubois, ID
- Airport: Dubois Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Go Round (Aborted VFR)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 44.2200° N, 112.3709° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.2200&lon=-112.3709&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2438L, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2438L) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-38-112 (registry code 7103812, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-38-112) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA38112
- Reported engine: LYC O235L2C
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 24 total, 24 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA98LA043](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA98LA043) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980311006769A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

DRAGGED UNPLOWED RUNWAY TO DETERMINE SNOW DEPTH. DIPPED WHEEL INTO SNOW ON GO AROUND. FOLDED GEAR. 12 INCH SNOW. (.4)THE STUDENT PILOT HAD REVIEWED THE INTENDED ROUTE OF FLIGHT, INCLUDING THE DUBOIS AIRPORT, PREVIOUS TO DEPARTING REXBURG ON HIS CROSS COUNTRY SOLO. AFTER LANDING FIRST AT POCATELLO, AND THEN ARCO, HE PROCEEDED TO DUBOIS WHERE HE FOUND THE AIRPORT AND ITS SINGLE RUNWAY (16/34) SNOW COVERED. THE AIRPORT/FACILITY DIRECTORY EFFECTIVE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT ADVISED THE READER THAT 'NO WINTER MAINTENANCE' WAS AVAILABLE AND THE INFORMATIONAL DIAGRAM OF THE DUBOIS AIRPORT (WHICH WAS XEROXED ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE STUDENT'S FLIGHT PLANNER LOG FOR THE ACCIDENT TRIP) ADVISED THAT THE 'AIRPORT IS CLOSED FROM NOVEMBER TO APRIL BECAUSE OF SNOW.' THE STUDENT 'DECIDED TO DO A FLY-BY (AS A MISSED LANDING) ABOUT 20'-15' ABOVE THE RUNWAY' AND REPORTED THAT WHEN HE 'GOT TO THE TRANSITION POINT (HE) APPLIED FULL POWER AND PULLED THE YOKE BACK. ALMOST INSTANTLY, AS THE PLANE ROTATED, (HE) FELT DRAG AS A WHEEL CAUGHT IN THE SNOW.' AS THE AIRCRAFT DECELERATED, ROLLING THROUGH THE SNOW, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED.                                                                            (-23) 12 INCHES OF SNOW ON RUNWAY. ATTEMPTING LOW PASS. GEAR DRUG IN SNOW. GEAR COLLAPSED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB SEA98LA043](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA98LA043), Mar 11, 1998: Piper PA-38-112 (N2438L), Dubois, ID, substantial damage. Probable cause: The student pilot's misjudgment of altitude/clearance and overloading of the nose gear. A contributing factor was the snow-covered turf runway.

## Other reports on N2438L (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19930312005059A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19930312005059A), Mar 12, 1993: Piper PA38112 (N2438L), Burley, ID, Substantial damage. Confused on runway 02 and 20. Landed in gusty tailwind,nose first,collapsing the nose gear high wind a factor.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.