- Date
- January 23, 2012, 08:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Nikiski, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N800DFCessna 207A
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing area overshoot
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report May 15, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA Anchorage FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120123000839A
- Case key
- 82750
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 improper identification of the runway surface. Contributing to the accident was the snow covering the runway lights.
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
During a night landing, the pilot misidentified the runway surface and landed the airplane in a snowbank on the left side of the runway. He stated that most of the runway lights had been covered by heavy snow and were not clearly visible when the airplane was on the straight-in approach. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the horizontal stabilizer.
Factual narrative
During a night landing, the pilot misidentified the runway surface, and landed the airplane in a snowbank on the left side of the runway. He stated that most of the runway lights had been covered by heavy snow, and were not clearly visible on the straight-in approach. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, and the horizontal stabilizer.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N800DF
- Reported as
- Cessna 207A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20700621
- Airframe hours
- 8,752
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-520-F, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Rediske Air
- Registered owner
- Johnson Warren E
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · December 23, 2011 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- Trading Bay, AK
- Destination
- AK73 · Nikiski, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- AK73 · McGahan Industrial, runway 07, 4,000 × 100 ft, snow
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
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 5, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,759 total · 2,304 in this make and model · 197 in the last 90 days · 57 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 12 °F, dew point 7 °F
- Altimeter
- 28.98 inHg
- Observed at
- PAEN, 9 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 6, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 884 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N800DF · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.