- Date
- April 6, 2007, 13:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Willow, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N6363GCessna 150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 27, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Anchorage FSDO-03
- FAA report
- 20070406008179A
- Case key
- 65556
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control while taxiing, which resulted in the airplane contacting a snow berm and nosing down. Factors associated with the accident were the snow and ice covered runway, and excessive taxispeed.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The solo student pilot had just completed three full-stop landings under Title 14, CFR Part 91, and was taxiing to the ramp to pick up his instructor when he lost directional control of the airplane. He reported that he applied too much power, and was taxiing too fast on the ice and snow covered runway. He said when he tried to turn toward the ramp the airplane started to slide to the left, and his attempt to control the airplane failed. He reported that the airplane contacted a snow berm, and the airplane nosed down, sustaining damage to both wings and the fuselage.
Factual narrative
On April 6, 2007, about 1330 Alaska daylight time, a tailwheel-equipped, Cessna 150 airplane, N6363G, sustained substantial damage when it collided with a snow berm following a loss of control while taxiing from landing at the Willow Airport, Willow, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the student pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) supervised solo flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on April 10, the student pilot said he had completed three supervised solo landings, and was taxiing to the ramp to pickup his instructor. He said the runway and taxiway were covered with hard packed snow and ice, and that he was taxiing too fast. The airplane veered to the left, and he applied right rudder and pulled the power off. He reported the airplane rotated to the right, striking the left wing on the ground, and then rotated again, striking the right wing. He said the airplane exited the left side of the runway, struck a snow berm, and nosed down.
On April 10, during a telephone conversation with the IIC, the flight instructor said after making three solo landings, the student applied too much power while taxiing to the ramp, and lost directional control. The instructor said the runway was covered with hard packed snow and ice, the temperature was about 32 degrees F, visibility was greater than 20 miles, and the wind was calm.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6363G
- Reported as
- Cessna 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15071863
- Airframe hours
- 3,920
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert Bernowski
- Registered owner
- Paul Huppert
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2006
- Departed
- PAUO · Willow, AK
- Airport
- UUO · Willow, runway 31, 4,400 × 75 ft, gravel
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 32 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.