20070412006299A

(-23) On April 12, 2007, at approximately 0043 EDT, a Bombardier CRJ-200 (N8905F), operated by pinnacle airlines as flight 4712 from minneapolis, Minnesota to Traverse City, Michigan, overran the runway while landing at Cherry Capital Airport, Traverse City. There were no injuries among the 49 passengers (including 3 lap-held infants) and 3 crewmembers and the aircraft received substantial damage. Flight 4712 departed minneapolis-st. paul airport at 2244 central time. The crew reported the enroute portion of flight to be routine. At approximately 0020 eastern time, the flight was cleared for an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 28 by minneapolis air route traffic control center. The Traverse City control tower had been closed since at 2200 per normal operations. Automatic weather observation data indicated at 2353 the airport was experiencing light snow, with visibility of one and one half miles, clouds at 900 and 1500 feet, and winds from the north-northeast at 7 knots. At 0030, the visibility had dropped to one-half mile in snow, with indefinite ceiling and vertical visibility of 400 feet. Snow removal operations were in progress at the airport, and the flight crew communicated directly with airport operations regarding the runway conditions. After landing, the airplane overran the departure end of runway 28. Runway 28 is 6,501 feet long, with a paved blast pad about 200 feet long the threshold. Initial examination indicates that as the airplane exited the paved surface it was oriented about 600 degrees to the left of the runway heading, and about 30 feet left of the centerline. The airplane entered a grassy snow-covered field beyond the blast pad and the nose gear separated approximately 93 feet beyond the end of the pavement. The airplane slewed to the right and came to rest oriented about 20 degrees left of centerline with the right main gear sunken into the ground at a point about 100 feet beyond the pavement.