- Date
- March 22, 1992, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Palmer, AK
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5947DPiper PA-22-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19920322007409A
- Case key
- 5702
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Inadequate in-flight planning/decision. Factors to the accident were: icy and snow covered runway, and delayed remedial action.
Analysis
During the landing roll on a snow covered runway, the pilot realized too late that the airplane was not going to stop on the icy runway. At the end of the runway, the pilot intentionally ground-looped the airplane to stop, however, the left main ski caught on an ice ridge, which collapsed the main landing gear and the left wing contacted the surface.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5947D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-4611
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David J. Payne
- Registered owner
- David J. Payne
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- 5L6 · Wasilla, AK
- Airport
- Butte, runway 27, 3,000 × 300 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 555 in this make and model · 560 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 8 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 36 °F
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 N5947D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.