Skip to content

GAA17CA159

2017-02-22 · Big Lake, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport BGQ

Current FAA registration · N6024D

Make / Model
PIPER PA-22-150
Year of manufacture
1956 · 61 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19561207
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A7D195

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The contamination of snow and ice on the left main landing gear and brake, which prevented the wheel from rolling during touchdown and resulted in a nose-over.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that after a couple touch-and-go landings at a nearby airport, he decided to land at a different airport to speak with a friend. He further reported that everything seemed normal during the touchdown on the snow-covered runway, but the airplane then "abruptly stopped and [nosed] over". The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the rudder. The pilot reported that the inside of the left main landing gear and brake was "packed with ice" and had froze, which prevented the wheel from rotating during the landing roll. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, after conducting two touch-and-go landings at a nearby airport, he decided to land at a different airport to speak with a friend. He added that everything seemed normal during the touchdown on the snow-covered runway but that the airplane then "abruptly stopped and [nosed] over." The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the rudder. The pilot reported that the inside of the left main landing gear and brake was "packed with ice" and had frozen, which prevented the wheel from rotating during the landing roll. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Snow/slush/ice covered surface-Effect on operation - C
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Wheel/ski/float-Not specified

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA17CA159.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.