Event CEN21LA112

Factual narrative

On January 12, 2021, at 1658 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-32R-301, N35718, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Paul C. Miller Airport (8D4), Sparta, Michigan. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, main landing gear tire tracks in the snow cover indicated that the airplane touched down about 18 ft short of the runway. It subsequently encountered a snowbank less than 3 ft in height adjacent to the runway threshold. The landing gear collapsed, and the airplane skidded down the runway before coming to rest about 1,000 ft. from the approach threshold. The pilot reported that he “misjudged the end of the runway” after executing a GPS approach and the airplane impacted a snowbank at the end of the runway. There were no malfunctions associated with the airplane before the accident. He noted that maintaining the glideslope guidance provided by the precision approach path indicator might have prevented the accident. Additionally, cancelling his instrument flight plan while still on the approach “proved distracting.” He added that the airframe accumulated about 1/2 inch of ice during the descent and approach in instrument meteorological conditions, but that the airplane was “flying well.” The pilot obtained a preflight weather briefing before the accident flight. He was advised of the airman’s meteorological information (AIRMET) advisories in effect for icing and instrument conditions. Multiple pilot reports (PIREPS) for in-flight airframe icing were received by air traffic control, along with one negative icing report. The airplane was not certificated for flight into icing conditions. The airplane touched down short of the runway and encountered a snowbank adjacent to the approach threshold. The landing gear collapsed, and the airplane skidded along the runway before coming to rest. The pilot reported that he “misjudged the end of the runway” during landing after executing a GPS approach. There were no malfunctions associated with the airplane before the accident. He noted that maintaining the glideslope guidance provided by the precision approach path indicator would have prevented the accident. Additionally, canceling his instrument flight plan while on the approach “proved distracting.” The snowbank was less than 3-ft high and would not have been an issue had the pilot maintained the proper approach glideslope. Although the airframe accumulated about 1/2 inch of ice during the descent and approach, there is no evidence that it contributed to the accident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained
• — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot