20040225005069I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna P206D · Soldotna, AK · February 25, 2004

Date: February 25, 2004 · 13:30 local
Place: Soldotna, AK
Airport: Soldotna
Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: N3NC
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N8771Z
Reported as: Cessna P206D
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,400 total3,800 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days

N8771ZRegistration cancelled Aug 21, 2015 · Cessna P206DS/N P206-0571 · Built 1969 Airframe modelCessna P206D Engine modelContinental IO-520 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Returning from a hunting trip the pilot checked the weather and NOTAMS for the airport, noting a local NOTAM for "braking action nil". This NOTAM had been in place for most of the winter because the airport did not sand the runway. When the pilot departed earlier in the day the runway condition was good, temperature was below freezing and there was a light dusting of snow on the runway. While away from Soldotna the pilot changed the configuration of the skis on the aircraft to reduce the drag from the penetration of the wheels into the snow so he could safely operate from a frozen lake. On return to Soldotna the temperature was above freezing and runway conditions had deteriorated. On landing as the aircraft slowed directional control was lost when the rudder became ineffective this is due in part to the slippery surface and the ski configuration of the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) RETURNING FROM A HUNTING TRIP THE PILOT CHECKED THE WEATHER AND NOTAMS FOR THE AIRPORT, NOTING A LOCAL NOTAM FOR "BRAKING ACTION NIL". THIS NOTAM HAD BEEN IN PLACE FOR MOST OF THE WINTER BECAUSE THE AIRPORT DID NOT SAND THE RUNWAY. WHEN THE PILOT DEPARTED EARLIER IN THE DAY THE RUNWAY CONDITION WAS GOOD, TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW FREEZING AND THERE WAS A LIGHT DUSTING OF SNOW ON THE RUNWAY. WHILE AWAY FROM SOLDOTNA THE PILOT CHANGED THE CONFIGURATION OF THE SKIS ON THE AIRCRAFT TO REDUCE THE DRAG FROM THE PENETRATION OF THE WHEELS INTO THE SNOW SO HE COULD SAFELY OPERATE FROM A FROZEN LAKE. ON RETURN TO SOLDOTNA THE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOVE FREEZING AND RUNWAY CONDITIONS HAD DETERIORATED. ON LANDING AS THE AIRCRAFT SLOWED DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS LOST WHEN THE RUDDER BECAME INEFFECTIVE THIS IS DUE IN PART TO THE SLIPPERY SURFACE AND THE SKI CONFIGURATION OF THE AIRCRAFT.