What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
privacy data omitted (Student pilot) was piloting N88342 a Bellanca 7GCBC aircraft with one passenger onboard. They departed an airstrip near privacy data omitted home in sterling enroute to port graham. The pilot stated that he had checked the weather on the internet and by calling the Soldotna AWOS at 9:30. He states that the Soldotna AWOS reported -6 c, no snow or rain, overcast at 6000 feet. He took off heading south from the airstrip on adkins road @ 12:15P.m, and was climbing through approx. 2300 feet when he started to see small rain drops on his windshield. The small drops rapidly became big freezing rain. He saw Dutch Strip, a 1300 foot gravel runway, directly ahead so he began descending toward it rapidly. When he got to the runway his approach speed was too great (approx. 110 mph) so he executed a missed approach and decided to go around the pattern. Turning from the base leg at approx. 80-85 mph the airplane was struggling to fly. He increased throttle, cycled the carb heat, and widened his turn. At this time the windshield was totally iced over and he was looking through the side window. As he began to decrease speed at the approach end of the runway, the aircraft began losing altitude rapidly. He increased throttle and pulled up slightly. The engine made a loud bang and quit. He states that he did not have enough runway remaining to land so he headed toward the small road at the end of the runway and landed there. On rollout the right wing caught a guy wire for a light pole. This turned the aircraft to the right into a frozen pile of dirt causing damage to the engine and cowling, striking the right wing, and breaking off the right main landing gear. The aircraft slid down the road sideways to the left where the tail struck a sign post and was folded around to the right. The left main landing gear also folded but remained attached to the aircraft. The aircraft came to rest facing west with the left wing high. The passenger received bruises to her knee and hand. The pilot was cut on his scalp. The pilot estimates that the flight lasted about 2 to 3 minutes from takeoff to landing and covered a distance of about 3 miles.
As the FAA filed it
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ (STUDENT PILOT) WAS PILOTING N88342 A BELLANCA 7GCBC AIRCRAFT WITH ONE PASSENGER ONBOARD. THEY DEPARTED AN AIRSTRIP NEAR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HOME IN STERLING ENROUTE TO PORT GRAHAM. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD CHECKED THE WEATHER ON THE INTERNET AND BY CALLING THE SOLDOTNA AWOS AT 9:30. HE STATES THAT THE SOLDOTNA AWOS REPORTED -6 C, NO SNOW OR RAIN, OVERCAST AT 6000 FEET. HE TOOK OFF HEADING SOUTH FROM THE AIRSTRIP ON ADKINS ROAD @ 12:15P.M, AND WAS CLIMBING THROUGH APPROX. 2300 FEET WHEN HE STARTED TO SEE SMALL RAIN DROPS ON HIS WINDSHIELD. THE SMALL DROPS RAPIDLY BECAME BIG FREEZING RAIN. HE SAW DUTCH STRIP, A 1300 FOOT GRAVEL RUNWAY, DIRECTLY AHEAD SO HE BEGAN DESCENDING TOWARD IT RAPIDLY. WHEN HE GOT TO THE RUNWAY HIS APPROACH SPEED WAS TOO GREAT (APPROX. 110 MPH) SO HE EXECUTED A MISSED APPROACH AND DECIDED TO GO AROUND THE PATTERN. TURNING FROM THE BASE LEG AT APPROX. 80-85 MPH THE AIRPLANE WAS STRUGGLING TO FLY. HE INCREASED THROTTLE, CYCLED THE CARB HEAT, AND WIDENED HIS TURN. AT THIS TIME THE WINDSHIELD WAS TOTALLY ICED OVER AND HE WAS LOOKING THROUGH THE SIDE WINDOW. AS HE BEGAN TO DECREASE SPEED AT THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN LOSING ALTITUDE RAPIDLY. HE INCREASED THROTTLE AND PULLED UP SLIGHTLY. THE ENGINE MADE A LOUD BANG AND QUIT. HE STATES THAT HE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH RUNWAY REMAINING TO LAND SO HE HEADED TOWARD THE SMALL ROAD AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND LANDED THERE. ON ROLLOUT THE RIGHT WING CAUGHT A GUY WIRE FOR A LIGHT POLE. THIS TURNED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RIGHT INTO A FROZEN PILE OF DIRT CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE AND COWLING, STRIKING THE RIGHT WING, AND BREAKING OFF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE AIRCRAFT SLID DOWN THE ROAD SIDEWAYS TO THE LEFT WHERE THE TAIL STRUCK A SIGN POST AND WAS FOLDED AROUND TO THE RIGHT. THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR ALSO FOLDED BUT REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST FACING WEST WITH THE LEFT WING HIGH. THE PASSENGER RECEIVED BRUISES TO HER KNEE AND HAND. THE PILOT WAS CUT ON HIS SCALP. THE PILOT ESTIMATES THAT THE FLIGHT LASTED ABOUT 2 TO 3 MINUTES FROM TAKEOFF TO LANDING AND COVERED A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 3 MILES.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.