BIG LAKE, AK, USA
N4040M
Piper PA-12
The pilot of the wheel equipped airplane said he saw other airplanes landing on the surface of the frozen lake. He decided to land in the same area. The pilot said that during the landing roll the snow was initially hard packed as it had appeared from the air. The wheels then contacted soft snow, and the airplane nosed over.
On March 7, 1999, about 1540 Alaska standard time, a wheel equipped, Piper PA-12, N4040M, sustained substantial damage while landing on the frozen surface of Flathorn Lake, approximately 20 miles southwest of Big Lake, Alaska. The airline transport pilot and the two passengers on board were not injured. The airplane was being operated as a local, personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight departed Anderson Lake, Palmer, Alaska, about 1500. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) during a telephone interview on March 8, and wrote in his NTSB Pilot / Operator report, that he saw other airplanes landing on the frozen surface of Flathorn Lake, and decided to land as well. During landing the snow was initially hard packed as it had appeared from the air. During the landing roll, the airplane's tires sank into soft snow, and the airplane nosed over.
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing the wheel equipped airplane. A factor associated with the accident was the soft snow covering the frozen lake.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
Aviation Accidents App
In-Depth Access to Aviation Accident Reports
