- Date
- December 28, 1989, 15:35 local (20:35 UTC)
- Place
- Chillicothe, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3647EAeronca 11AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891228057309A
- Case key
- 14614
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
Improper planning/decision by the student pilot, which resulted in a landing on a slick runway, and his failure to maintain directional control during the landing, which resulted in his inability to maintain runway alignment. Contributing factors were: the icy/snow covered runway, snow covered terrain beside the runway, and the student's lack of experience in winter operations.
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 student pilot stated that when he departed the arpt, the wx & rwy conditions were fair to good. He noted that although the weather was cold, it was sunny & the compacted snow on the runway was melting. The student practiced airwork in the local area for about an hour, then returned to the arpt, intending to practice takeoffs & landings. He reported that his landing was normal, but as the acft decelerated on the runway, it encountered an icy area & he was unable to maintain control. The acft veered off the left side of the runway & nosed over on snow covered terrain. The plt stated that the sky had clouded over while he was away from the arpt. When he returned, the previously melted snow on the runway had 'glazed over' & was slick.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3647E
- Reported as
- Aeronca 11AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11AC-1835
- Airframe hours
- 1,217
- Engine
- Continental A-65-8F, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James L. Mcnall
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 12, 1989 · 104 hours before
- Departed
- RZT
- Airport
- RZT · Ross Country, runway 22, 5,398 × 75 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 24 total · 9 in this make and model · 10 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CMH, 34 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.