NTSB ANC23LA017 — 2022-12-08 · Wasilla, Alaska, United States

Current FAA registration · N3861P

Make / Model: PIPER PA-22-150
Year of manufacture: 1955 · 67 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19551223
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A4741D

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N3861P Piper PA-22-150 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing site, which resulted in a nose over after the main landing gear wheels broke through deep snow on the snow-covered runway.

Factual narrative

The instructor pilot of the tundra tire-equipped airplane reported that, during a touch-and-go maneuver on a snow-covered runway, the airplane decelerated rapidly as the main landing gear wheels touched down into the deep snow, and he was unable to perform the go around maneuver. The airplane subsequently nosed over sustaining substantial damage to the wing lift struts and rudder. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-(general)-Capability exceeded
— Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Instructor/check pilot
— Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Snow/slush/ice covered surface-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_ANC23LA017.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.