- Date
- February 2, 2016, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Park Valley, UT
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8340ZCessna 210
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 5, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Salt Lake City FSDO (FAA)
- FAA report
- 20160202000869A
- Case key
- 92692
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 decision to drag the left main landing gear on a snow covered dry lake bed, which resulted in a loss of directional control and a nose over during an aborted landing.
Findings · 4
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
The pilot reported that he was flying over a snow covered dry lake bed and decided to "drag" the left main landing gear to "better assess the surface condition." When the tire touched down, the pilot reported, "Drag rapidly increased and sucked the aircraft down." The pilot attempted to abort the landing by adding full power, but the airplane sunk further into the snow, turned to the right, and nosed over. The fuselage and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no other mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was flying over a snow covered dry lake bed and decided to "drag" the left main landing gear to "better assess the surface condition." When the tire touched down, the pilot reported, "Drag rapidly increased and sucked the aircraft down." The pilot attempted to abort the landing by adding full power, but the airplane sunk further into the snow, turned to the right, and nosed over. The fuselage and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no other mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8340Z
- Reported as
- Cessna 210 (5)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 205-0340
- Built
- 1963
- Airframe hours
- 2,874
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-S, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 12, 2015
- Departed
- OGD · Ogden, UT
- Destination
- OGD · Ogden, UT
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Satellite tracking device, Onboard weather, Handheld GPS
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- November 13, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 12,828 total · 324 in this make and model · 2,087 as pilot in command · 185 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 1.2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot-rated passenger
- Age
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 27 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- KBYI, 30 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 22, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 MB 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.