- Date
- February 14, 1994, 09:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Sandwich, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N76SAPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940214002359A
- Case key
- 9470
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 private pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane while landing on a snow and ice covered runway. Factors are the snow on the runway and the snowbank.
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 private pilot stated the approach and touchdown were normal, but after touchdown the airplane veered to the left. The pilot elected to abort the landing, but the airplane had moved off the runway. The nose and left main landing gear struck a pile of plowed ice and snow located along the edge of the runway. The airplane veered back into the runway, and came to rest nosed down. The pilot stated when he saw the runway conditions, he had doubts about landing safely, but he 'had landed on snow before, so I preceeded.' He stated he should not have landed under those conditions.
Factual narrative
On February 14, 1994, at 0915 central standard time, a Piper PA-28R-200, N76SA, a rental airplane operated on a pleasure flight, sustained substantial damage when it skidded off the left side of Runway 26 at Sandwich, Illinois and struck a snowbank. The private pilot and pilot-rated passenger reported no injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, no flight plan was filed. The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91, and originated from Valparaiso, Indiana, approximately 0840.
The pilot reported the approach and touchdown were normal, but immediately after landing the plane veered to the left. The pilot stated by the time he had "better control" of the airplane, it was close to the left edge of the runway, so he elected to abort the landing. During the aborted landing the nose and left main landing gear struck a pile of plowed snow and ice located along the left edge of the runway. The airplane veered back onto the runway, and came to rest nose down.
The pilot reported the runway was 95% to 100% covered with packed snow and ice. He stated: "After viewing the condition of the runway at Woodlake, I had doubts about landing safely, but I had landed on snow before so I proceeded. I should have followed my first inclination and decided not to land under those conditions." The airport operator reported the runway was covered with ice and snow deposited during a recent ice storm. He indicated due to continuing cold weather they had been unable to remove the ice from the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N76SA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7635110
- Airframe hours
- 3,701
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-CIC, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Eagle Aircraft
- Registered owner
- Eagle Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Special, Provisional (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 22, 1993 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- VPZ · Valparaiso, IN
- Airport
- C48 · Woodlake Landing, runway 26, 2,988 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 197 total · 39 in this make and model · 156 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 25 °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 N76SA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.