Event ANC07LA028

Factual narrative

On April 6, 2007, about 1330 Alaska daylight time, a tailwheel-equipped, Cessna 150 airplane, N6363G, sustained substantial damage when it collided with a snow berm following a loss of control while taxiing from landing at the Willow Airport, Willow, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the student pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) supervised solo flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on April 10, the student pilot said he had completed three supervised solo landings, and was taxiing to the ramp to pickup his instructor. He said the runway and taxiway were covered with hard packed snow and ice, and that he was taxiing too fast. The airplane veered to the left, and he applied right rudder and pulled the power off. He reported the airplane rotated to the right, striking the left wing on the ground, and then rotated again, striking the right wing. He said the airplane exited the left side of the runway, struck a snow berm, and nosed down. On April 10, during a telephone conversation with the IIC, the flight instructor said after making three solo landings, the student applied too much power while taxiing to the ramp, and lost directional control. The instructor said the runway was covered with hard packed snow and ice, the temperature was about 32 degrees F, visibility was greater than 20 miles, and the wind was calm. The solo student pilot had just completed three full-stop landings under Title 14, CFR Part 91, and was taxiing to the ramp to pick up his instructor when he lost directional control of the airplane. He reported that he applied too much power, and was taxiing too fast on the ice and snow covered runway. He said when he tried to turn toward the ramp the airplane started to slide to the left, and his attempt to control the airplane failed. He reported that the airplane contacted a snow berm, and the airplane nosed down, sustaining damage to both wings and the fuselage. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12