Event ANC05CA024

Factual narrative

On January 22, 2005, about 1230 Alaska standard time, a tundra tire-equipped Piper PA-19 airplane, N5417H, sustained substantial damage while taxiing for takeoff on a remote, snow-covered frozen lake. The lake is located about 12 miles west of Big Lake, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private certificated pilot and the sole passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was intended to return to the Lake Hood Airport, Anchorage Alaska. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on January 25, the pilot reported that he had landed on an ice road on the frozen lake, about an hour before the accident occurred. He added that the surface of the lake was smooth, and covered by about 2 inches of fresh snow, and that "flat light conditions" made it very difficult to discern any topographical features on the lake ice. He reported that as he taxied the airplane in preparation for departure, it began to slide on the snow-covered ice, so he applied engine power in an attempt to gain effective rudder control. He said that as the airplane gained speed on the ice, the main landing gear wheels struck a large ice ridge, and the airplane was "pitched into the air." The pilot said that in an attempt to land the airplane and regain control, he closed the throttle, and the airplane descended rapidly. The airplane's main wheels struck the ice-covered lake, and the left main landing gear partially collapsed. The airplane subsequently veered to the left, struck a stand of trees on the left side of the frozen lake, and sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The private pilot reported that he had landed on the frozen lake about an hour before the accident occurred. He said that the surface of the frozen lake was smooth and covered by about 2 inches of fresh snow, and that "flat light conditions" made it very difficult to discern any topographical features on the lake ice. The pilot reported that as he taxied the airplane in preparation for takeoff, it began to slide on the snow-covered ice, and he applied engine power in an attempt to gain effective rudder control. He said that as the airplane gained speed on the ice, the main landing gear wheels struck a large ice ridge, and the airplane was "pitched into the air." The pilot said that in an attempt to land the airplane and regain control, he closed the throttle, and the airplane descended rapidly. The airplane's main wheels struck the lake, and the left main landing gear partially collapsed. The airplane subsequently veered to the left, struck a stand of trees on the left side of the lake, and sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12