CHI01LA078

Factual narrative

On February 2, 2001, at 1630 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-34-220T, N4123K, operated by a private pilot, collided with a runway light and snow bank following a loss of directional control during landing. The landing was being made on runway 27 (4,550 feet by 75 feet), at the Charlevoix Municipal Airport, Charlevoix, Michigan. The pilot and his passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions and an IFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Pontiac, Michigan, at 1500 est. The pilot reported that during the landing roll, the "…aircraft veered right due to too much right aileron into right crosswind. I neutralized aileron and steered to left with rudder. Wind gust and right crosswind lifted right wing and aircraft veered left, hit ice and slid into left snow bank while moving in forward direction." The pilot reported the left propeller, left main gear, and left flap contacted the snow bank. The pilot reported the winds were from 330 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 17 knots, during the landing. A weather observation taken at the Charlevoix Municipal Airport, 6 minutes after the accident, reported the winds were from 320 degrees at 9 knots. An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Flight Standards District Office, inspected the runway after the accident. He reported the center of the runway was clear, however, there were patches of ice along the left side of the runway. He reported that the snow along the sides of the runway was high enough so that only the tops of the runway lights were visible. The airplane impacted a snow bank following a loss of control during landing roll. The landing was being made on runway 27. The pilot reported that during the landing roll, the airplane veered to the right of the runway due to too much right aileron input. He reported he neutralized the aileron and steered with the rudder. A gust of wind along with the crosswind then lifted the right wing and the airplane veered to the left where it contacted ice on the runway and slid into a snow bank. Inspection revealed the center of the runway was clear, however, there were patches of ice along the left side of the runway. The snow along the sides of the runway was high enough so that only the tops of the runway lights were visible. The pilot reported winds from 330 at 12 knots, gusting to 17 knots. A weather observation at the airport taken 6 minutes after the accident reported winds from 320 degrees at 9 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12