What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) N727MR departed 16@S07 10:20 am PST, 12/30/03, landing at 7S3 at 11:20 am PST on wet pavement, puddles on runway, and thin, icy patches. Departed 20@7S3, with passenger at 11:55 am PST, 12/30/03, and requested airport advisory @ S07 approx 1PM-"winds light and variable, traffic has been using 16". Entered left downwind for 16 noting pretty limp lock indicating gentle easterly breeze. Experienced wind shear on short final at about 50' AGL, and dropped about 40-45', but applied small amount of power, flared nicely at about 5' AGL. Noticed sock still showing gentle easterly direction on short final, but noted there was zero drift that required any correction to keep approach on centerline. Nice touchdown on mains, power back, stick forward to keep tail flying. Upon power back, immediately experienced pull to left. Smoothly applying full right rudder to counter pull to left, and avoiding any brakes due to extremely icy runway, noted no real corrections, if any, and aircraft continued to veer left on the ice until the wheels struck the 2' snow berm left by plow, nosing the plane over, flipping the tail up and over, landing fairly softly upside-down in the snowbank, left edge of runway 16. Asked passenger if she was ok-she replied she was fine. Opened door, released harness and slid out the door, the assisted passenger in supporting herself, (hanging upside-down) released her harness and helped her out and down off of the wing into the snow, then reached back in to shut off fuel. Apparently there were no witnesses as we had to call the FBO via cell phone for assistance. Suspect that at least the left brake if not both brakes must have frozen in flight after departing wet runway 15 7S3, and failed to roll after touchdown on icy runway at S07. Temp was 15 degrees at takeoff from Bend, temp at takeoff from hillsboro at noon was 32 degrees, temp at 1PM landing at Bend was 21 degrees. Neither wheel would turn while the plane was upside-down, though they both freed up upon righting the aircraft and towing backwards. The sudden drop on short final could indicate a wind shift, and a NE gust could have possibly weathervaned the tail to the right, thus a veer to the left, but did not feel such a gust or the tail swinging at all on either final or after touchdown. In either case, felt that full right rudder would have overcome, but it did not. (-23 amendment) the pilot took off from Bend airport at 10:20AM local time the runway was wet with standing water. He returned at 11:20AM, upon landing the aircraft veered left off the runway and flipped in a snow bank.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) N727MR DEPARTED 16@S07 10:20 AM PST, 12/30/03, LANDING AT 7S3 AT 11:20 AM PST ON WET PAVEMENT, PUDDLES ON RUNWAY, AND THIN, ICY PATCHES. DEPARTED 20@7S3, WITH PASSENGER AT 11:55 AM PST, 12/30/03, AND REQUESTED AIRPORT ADVISORY @ S07 APPROX 1PM-"WINDS LIGHT AND VARIABLE, TRAFFIC HAS BEEN USING 16". ENTERED LEFT DOWNWIND FOR 16 NOTING PRETTY LIMP LOCK INDICATING GENTLE EASTERLY BREEZE. EXPERIENCED WIND SHEAR ON SHORT FINAL AT ABOUT 50' AGL, AND DROPPED ABOUT 40-45', BUT APPLIED SMALL AMOUNT OF POWER, FLARED NICELY AT ABOUT 5' AGL. NOTICED SOCK STILL SHOWING GENTLE EASTERLY DIRECTION ON SHORT FINAL, BUT NOTED THERE WAS ZERO DRIFT THAT REQUIRED ANY CORRECTION TO KEEP APPROACH ON CENTERLINE. NICE TOUCHDOWN ON MAINS, POWER BACK, STICK FORWARD TO KEEP TAIL FLYING. UPON POWER BACK, IMMEDIATELY EXPERIENCED PULL TO LEFT. SMOOTHLY APPLYING FULL RIGHT RUDDER TO COUNTER PULL TO LEFT, AND AVOIDING ANY BRAKES DUE TO EXTREMELY ICY RUNWAY, NOTED NO REAL CORRECTIONS, IF ANY, AND AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO VEER LEFT ON THE ICE UNTIL THE WHEELS STRUCK THE 2' SNOW BERM LEFT BY PLOW, NOSING THE PLANE OVER, FLIPPING THE TAIL UP AND OVER, LANDING FAIRLY SOFTLY UPSIDE-DOWN IN THE SNOWBANK, LEFT EDGE OF RUNWAY 16. ASKED PASSENGER IF SHE WAS OK-SHE REPLIED SHE WAS FINE. OPENED DOOR, RELEASED HARNESS AND SLID OUT THE DOOR, THE ASSISTED PASSENGER IN SUPPORTING HERSELF, (HANGING UPSIDE-DOWN) RELEASED HER HARNESS AND HELPED HER OUT AND DOWN OFF OF THE WING INTO THE SNOW, THEN REACHED BACK IN TO SHUT OFF FUEL. APPARENTLY THERE WERE NO WITNESSES AS WE HAD TO CALL THE FBO VIA CELL PHONE FOR ASSISTANCE. SUSPECT THAT AT LEAST THE LEFT BRAKE IF NOT BOTH BRAKES MUST HAVE FROZEN IN FLIGHT AFTER DEPARTING WET RUNWAY 15 7S3, AND FAILED TO ROLL AFTER TOUCHDOWN ON ICY RUNWAY AT S07. TEMP WAS 15 DEGREES AT TAKEOFF FROM BEND, TEMP AT TAKEOFF FROM HILLSBORO AT NOON WAS 32 DEGREES, TEMP AT 1PM LANDING AT BEND WAS 21 DEGREES. NEITHER WHEEL WOULD TURN WHILE THE PLANE WAS UPSIDE-DOWN, THOUGH THEY BOTH FREED UP UPON RIGHTING THE AIRCRAFT AND TOWING BACKWARDS. THE SUDDEN DROP ON SHORT FINAL COULD INDICATE A WIND SHIFT, AND A NE GUST COULD HAVE POSSIBLY WEATHERVANED THE TAIL TO THE RIGHT, THUS A VEER TO THE LEFT, BUT DID NOT FEEL SUCH A GUST OR THE TAIL SWINGING AT ALL ON EITHER FINAL OR AFTER TOUCHDOWN. IN EITHER CASE, FELT THAT FULL RIGHT RUDDER WOULD HAVE OVERCOME, BUT IT DID NOT. (-23 AMENDMENT) THE PILOT TOOK OFF FROM BEND AIRPORT AT 10:20AM LOCAL TIME THE RUNWAY WAS WET WITH STANDING WATER. HE RETURNED AT 11:20AM, UPON LANDING THE AIRCRAFT VEERED LEFT OFF THE RUNWAY AND FLIPPED IN A SNOW BANK.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.