N76SA

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.