Davis, WV, USA
N44LJ
Piper PA-34-200
Upon arriving in the vicinity of the airport, the pilot circled the runway twice to determine the wind direction and runway conditions. The runway appeared to look clear, with a few ice patches on the surface, and snow mounds off to the sides. After touching down on the runway, the left landing gear assembly encountered a "low flat" snow patch, and the airplane began to pull to the left. The airplane continued off the side of the runway, and came to rest upright in a snow-covered field.
On February 16, 2004, at 1440 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-34-200, N44LJ, was substantially damaged while landing at the Windwood Resort Airport, Davis, West Virginia. The certificate private pilot and three passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight that originated from the Winchester Regional Airport (OKV), Winchester, Virginia. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot, upon arriving in the vicinity of the airport, he circled the runway twice to determine the wind direction and runway conditions. The runway appeared to look clear, with a few ice patches on the surface, and snow mounds off to the sides. After touching down on runway 06, a 3,000-foot long, 40-foot wide asphalt runway, the left landing gear assembly encountered a "low flat" snow patch, and the airplane began to pull to the left. The pilot elected not to abort the landing, and let the airplane continue off the side of the runway, where it came to rest upright in a snow-covered field.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control after encountering a snow patch on the runway. A factor related to the accident was the snowdrift.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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