Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
the student pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane after landing. Factors contributing to this accident were the icy runway and the snowbank.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On November 20, 1998, at 1600 central standard time (cst), a Cessna 150M, N66314, operated by a student pilot, sustained substantial damage when during landing it departed the left side of the runway and struck a snow bank. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. There was no flight plan on file. The student pilot reported no injuries. The cross-country flight originated at Ely, Minnesota, at 1445 cst, and was en route to Tower, Minnesota.
In his written statement, the pilot said that he had flown from Ely, Minnesota, to Tower, Minnesota. Prior to the accident, the pilot said that he had previously performed two go-arounds and two landings to runway 26 at Tower Airport. On his third landing, the pilot said that he touched down left of the runway centerline, and failed to correct back. He said that "the left landing gear caught a [snow] drift and caused the nose [of the airplane] to turn into a snowbank."
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane at the Tower Airport. The outboard two feet of the airplane's right wing to the wing tip was bent upward and twisted aft. Flight control continuity was confirmed. No anomalies were found with the airplane's engine, engine controls, or other airplane systems.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI99LA036