- Date
- November 8, 2008, 16:49 local (20:49 UTC)
- Place
- Girdwood, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N9099HCessna 172M
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report March 23, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20081108852009A
- Case key
- 69421
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 pilot's decision to attempt to take off on a snow-covered runway. Contributing to the accident was the snow-covered runway.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor was on an instructional flight with a student pilot and decided to land at a different airport prior to returning to the departure airport. He said that while above the airport where he intended to land he received a report from another pilot that there were 4-5 inches of snow on the runway. He made a successful soft-field landing and taxied back to the threshold to demonstrate a soft-field takeoff. The pilot said the airplane accelerated slowly on takeoff, and did not reach rotation speed before running through the runway end markers. He said the airplane continued down an embankment and came to rest in a creek. He said there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident and that the airplane sustained damage to the wings and fuselage. In a written statement, the pilot wrote that the accident could have been avoided by not landing on a runway with more than an inch of snow.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor was on an instructional flight with a student pilot under Title 14, CFR Part 91, and decided to land at a different airport prior to returning to the departure airport. He said while above the airport where he intended to land, he received a report from another pilot that there was 4-5 inches of snow on the runway. He made a successful soft-field landing, and said he taxied back to the threshold, and prepared to demonstrate a soft-field takeoff. The pilot said the airplane accelerated slowly, and did not reach rotation speed before running through the runway end markers. He said the airplane continued down an embankment and came to rest in a creek. He said there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident, and that the airplane sustained damage to the wings and fuselage. In a written statement dated November 18, the pilot wrote that the accident could have been avoided by not landing on a runway with more than an inch of snow.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9099H
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17265943
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Aero Tech Flight Service Inc, doing business as Aero Tech Flight Service
- Registered owner
- Aero Tech Flight Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- AQY · Girdwood, AK
- Destination
- MRI · Merrill Field, AK
- Airport
- AQY · Girdwood, runway 19, 2,088 × 73 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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 23, 2008
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 413 total · 157 in this make and model · 380 as pilot in command · 154 in the last 90 days · 58 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.