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ERA10CA231

2010-02-27 · Grove City, Pennsylvania, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 29D

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control after electing to land on a snow-covered runway.

Factual narrative

The pilot overflew the airport and noted what he believed to be a light coating of snow on runway 10-28, a 4,500-foot-long, 75-foot-wide, asphalt runway. After landing on runway 28, the pilot realized that approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches of snow was present on the surface of the runway. The airplane began to slide to the right. It subsequently departed the right side of the runway, struck a snow bank, and spun 180 degrees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its horizontal stabilizer. The airport was unattended at the time of the accident and there were no notices to airmen pertaining to the condition of the runway. The pilot reported about 1,210 hours of total flight experience, which included 21 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane. He also reported that winds at the time of the accident were from 260 degrees at 10 to 15 knots. The pilot overflew the airport and noted what he believed to be a light coating of snow on the runway. After landing, the pilot realized that approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches of snow was present on the surface of the runway and the airplane then began to slide to the right. It subsequently departed the right side of the runway, struck a snow bank, and spun 180 degrees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its horizontal stabilizer. The airport was unattended at the time of the accident and there were no notices to airmen pertaining to the condition of the runway. The pilot reported that winds at the time of the accident were from 260 degrees at 10 to 15 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa-Snow/slush/ice covered-Contributed to outcome
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa-Snow/slush/ice covered-Decision related to condition

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_ERA10CA231.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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