CHI99LA091

Factual narrative

On March 10, 1999, at 0902 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172R, N989AV, piloted by a student pilot, sustained substantial damage after a loss of control and collision with a snowbank during landing roll on Runway 31 (4,835 feet by 100 feet, snow covered/asphalt) at the W.K. Kellogg Airport, Battle Creek, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The solo instructional flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated at the W.K. Kellogg Airport at approximately 0855 for the local flight. According to the pilot's written statement, the approach to the runway was uneventful and that the airplane touchdown was a couple of feet left of the centerline. The pilot stated that, "I immediately noticed that the aircraft was starting to skid to the left. I immediately pushed the right rudder but there seemed to be no response to move it back to the right." The pilot reported that as the aircraft slid to the left, into the deeper snow, the airplane pivoted to the left, the propeller impacted the snowbank, and the airplane nosed over coming to rest inverted. A witness to the accident described the runway condition as, "Runway 31 appeared to have been ploughed but was covered in snow with no blacktop [visible]." Inspection of the wreckage revealed no anomalies with the airframe, flight controls, or engine. The pilot had a total time of 15.4 hours, of which 13.8 hours were dual instruction and 1.6 hours were pilot-in-command. The accident flight was the pilot's third solo flight. According to a written statement provided by the International Pilot Training Centre of Western Michigan University, the Duty Instructor for that morning had determined that the runway conditions should be checked before students could solo. The Duty Instructor placed a notification in the dispatch room stating, "No solos until the runway has been checked." The student pilot's instructor made the decision not to sign the student off for solo until the runway conditions improved and were checked. Later in the morning, the school's dispatch was notified by an instructor, who was flying in the traffic pattern, that, "...solo operation would not be a problem if one did not lock up the brakes." The student's flight instructor did not communicate with the Duty Instructor about the runway conditions, and released the student pilot for solo operations. The pilot reported the airplane touchdown a couple of feet left of the centerline. He stated,... 'I immediately noticed that the aircraft was starting to skid to the left. I immediately pushed the right rudder but there seemed to be no response to move it back to the right.' The pilot reported that as the aircraft slid to the left, into the deeper snow, the airplane pivoted to the left, the propeller impacted the snowbank, and the airplane nosed over coming to rest inverted. A witness to the accident described the runway condition as, 'Runway 31 appeared to have been ploughed but was covered in snow with no blacktop [visible].' Inspection of the wreckage revealed no anomalies with the airframe, flight controls, or engine. The pilot had a total time of 15.4 hours, of which 13.8 hours were dual instruction and 1.6 hours were pilot-in-command. The accident flight was the pilot's third flight as pilot-in-command. The Duty Instructor for that morning had determined that the runway conditions should be checked before students could solo. The Duty Instructor placed a notification in the dispatch room stating, 'No solos until the runway has been checked.' The student pilot's instructor made the decision not to sign the student off for solo until the runway conditions improved and were checked. Later in the morning, the school's dispatch was notified by an instructor, who was flying in the traffic pattern, that, '...solo operation would not be a problem if one did not lock up the brakes.' The student's flight instructor did not communicate with the Duty Instructor about the runway conditions, and released the student pilot for solo operations. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12