Event GAA17CA147

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during the first landing of a currency flight, he "never realized he was low on the approach" and impacted a snow covered area short of the asphalt runway and nosed over. He added that the flight was conducted in "reduced light conditions" and he "did not recognize the conditions as being flat light." The vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The National Weather Service recorded a sunset time about 25 minutes after the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration Chart Supplement stated in part that the landing runway was equipped with a precision approach path indicator (PAPI). The pilot reported that, during the first landing of a currency flight, he "never realized he was low on the approach" and that the airplane impacted a snow-covered area short of the asphalt runway and nosed over. He added that the flight was conducted in "reduced light conditions" and that he "did not recognize the conditions as being flat light." The vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The National Weather Service reported that the sun set about 25 minutes after the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration Chart Supplement stated, in part, that the landing runway was equipped with a precision approach path indicator. 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).

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of available resources-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Snowy/icy terrain-Effect on equipment
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-(general)-Effect on personnel