N733RW

On March 20, 1995, at 1336 Alaska standard time, a wheel equipped Cessna 172N, N733RW, collided with terrain at Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area instructional flight when the accident occurred. The airplane, operated by Far North Aviation, Anchorage, received substantial damage. The pilot, holder of a student pilot certificate and the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at Merrill Field about 1200.

The pilot reported that he was landing on runway 33 and was planning to perform touch and go landings. After touchdown, the pilot added engine power and the airplane began to drift to the left. He added right rudder input; however, the airplane continued to drift to the left. The airplane's left main landing gear contacted a 3 to 4 foot high snow berm located along the left edge of the runway, about 10 feet inside the runway lights. The pilot decided to abort the takeoff and cut the engine power and attempted to stop. The airplane pivoted to the left into the snowberm and nosed down.

The pilot reported that his total aeronautical experience consisted of 51.5 hours of flight time. He had accrued 14.6 hours in the accident aircraft make and model.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector of the Anchorage Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), inspected the airplane on March 30, 1995. He reported that wing repairs included replacement of wing ribs and splicing of the wing spar.

The FAA reported that the runway had patchy areas of snow and ice with several bare spots. Recent snow removal operations had created the snowberms, reducing the runway width about 25 percent.