WPR11CA065

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during a local area personal proficiency flight, he decided to make a full-stop landing on the snow-covered runway of a remote state airstrip. Although he overflew the strip before landing, because he had not predetermined the actual depth of the snow on the surface, during the landing roll the airplane sunk deep enough into the snow that it decelerated at a rate that resulted in it nosing over onto its back. The pilot did not report any airplane malfunctions or anomalies, and he further stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had not landed without first acquiring an "exact verification" of the snow depth on the runway surface. The pilot reported that during a local area personal proficiency flight, he decided to make a full-stop landing on the snow-covered runway of a remote state airstrip. Although he overflew the strip before landing, because he had not predetermined the actual depth of the snow on the surface, during the landing roll the airplane sunk deep enough into the snow that it decelerated at a rate that resulted in it nosing over onto its back. The pilot did not report any airplane malfunctions or anomalies, and he further stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had not landed without first acquiring an "exact verification" of the snow depth on the runway surface. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-(general)-Capability exceeded - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-(general)-Pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Snowy/icy-Contributed to outcome