WAUKEGAN, IL, USA
N68318
Cessna 152
The solo student pilot said he did not see the snowbank at the approach end of the runway on which he planned a landing due to the snowbank blending to the snow covered surface area. Impact marks indicate that the landing gear of the accident airplane impacted the 3' high snowbank prior to impacting the runway.
On December 14, 1997, at 0941 central time, a Cessna 152, N68318, registered to Stick and Rudder Club, Inc., of Waukegan, Illinois, and operated by a solo student pilot, sustained substantial damage when the left main landing gear impacted a snow bank on landing on runway 32 (3,751' X 75' dry/asphalt) at the Waukegan Regional Airport, near Waukegan, Illinois. The pilot reported no injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was on file. The local flight departed at 0933. Impact marks revealed that the landing gear of the accident airplane struck a 3' high ridge of snow at the approach end of the runway, prior to impacting on the runway. The pilot stated in his written statement that he was unable to see the 3' snow bank because it "blended in with the snow covered surface area."
the pilot's not identifying unsuitable terrain (snowbank) in the landing area, and his not selecting the proper touchdown point. A factor was the snowbank.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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