- Date
- December 14, 1997, 09:41 local (15:41 UTC)
- Place
- Waukegan, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N68318Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 27, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19971214038589A
- Case key
- 10803
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 not identifying unsuitable terrain (snowbank) in the landing area, and his not selecting the proper touchdown point. A factor was 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 solo student pilot said he did not see the snowbank at the approach end of the runway on which he planned a landing due to the snowbank blending to the snow covered surface area. Impact marks indicate that the landing gear of the accident airplane impacted the 3' high snowbank prior to impacting the runway.
Factual narrative
On December 14, 1997, at 0941 central time, a Cessna 152, N68318, registered to Stick and Rudder Club, Inc., of Waukegan, Illinois, and operated by a solo student pilot, sustained substantial damage when the left main landing gear impacted a snow bank on landing on runway 32 (3,751' X 75' dry/asphalt) at the Waukegan Regional Airport, near Waukegan, Illinois. The pilot reported no injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was on file. The local flight departed at 0933.
Impact marks revealed that the landing gear of the accident airplane struck a 3' high ridge of snow at the approach end of the runway, prior to impacting on the runway.
The pilot stated in his written statement that he was unable to see the 3' snow bank because it "blended in with the snow covered surface area."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N68318
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15285325
- Airframe hours
- 2,640
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 108 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Stick And Rudder Club, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 17, 1997 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- UGN
- Airport
- UGN · Waukegan Regional, runway 32, 3,751 × 75 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
- 28
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 78 total · 78 in this make and model · 11 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- UGN
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 N68318 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.