- Date
- November 20, 2011, 12:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ashton, ID
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N131PMAmerican Champion 8GCBC
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 8, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20111120026019A
- Case key
- 82351
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 student pilot’s poor decision-making when he decided to land on a snowy grass airstrip, which resulted in an encounter with deep snow during the landing roll and a subsequent nose-over.
Findings · 3
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 student pilot reported that he approached the privately-owned, rough grass airstrip and observed that it was covered with snow. After evaluating the snow’s depth as being only a few inches, the pilot landed. During the landing roll, the airplane decelerated quickly and nosed over, bending the vertical stabilizer, wings, and lift struts. After exiting the airplane, the pilot realized that the snow was between 6- and 8-inches deep. The student pilot’s certified flight instructor reported that he had not endorsed the student’s flight record logbook in over 90 days, and he had not authorized the student to fly to the accident airport. The student was not current in the airplane.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that he approached the privately owned rough grass airstrip and observed that it was covered with snow. After evaluating the snow’s depth as being only a few inches, the pilot landed. During rollout, the airplane decelerated quickly and nosed over, bending its vertical stabilizer, wings, and lift struts. Upon exiting the airplane, the pilot ascertained that, in fact, the snow was between 6 and 8 inches deep. The student pilot’s certified flight instructor reported that he had not endorsed the student’s flight record logbook in over 90 days, and he had not authorized the student to fly to the accident airport. The student was not current in the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N131PM
- Reported as
- American Champion 8GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 462-2004
- Airframe hours
- 656
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 10, 2011 · 214 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Ririe, ID
- Destination
- NONE · Ashton, ID
- Airport
- NONE · Private Airstrip, No Name, runway 02, 2,500 × 60 ft, grass/turf
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 150 total · 150 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 28 °F
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 5, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 469 KB 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.