Pelican Lake, WI, USA
N6085M
Cessna 152
The airplane, piloted by a student pilot on a solo cross country instructional flight, sustained substantial damage on impact with the snow and ice on a frozen lake. The pilot stated, "While in route I made the decision to land on Pelican Lake located about 20 mi south of Rhinelander WI. ... Upon main gear touching down the gear was restricted and pulled the nose of the aircraft to the ground (ice) slid about 25 yards then settled back onto main gear." The pilot's safety recommendation stated, "This accident could have been prevented if I would have just stuck to my flight plan and [federal aviation regulations]. I realize that I made a very bad decision to land on the lake and have learned greatly from it."
On December 26, 2005, about 1230 central standard time, a Cessna 152, N6085M, piloted by a student pilot, sustained substantial damage on impact with the snow and ice on Pelican Lake, Wisconsin. The solo cross country instructional flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was on file. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from the Waukesha County Airport, near Waukesha, Wisconsin, and was en route to the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport, near Rhinelander, Wisconsin, at the time of the accident. The pilot's accident report, in part, stated: On the 26th day of December at 1230 AM central time I was on a solo cross country flight from Waukesha to Rhinelander WI. While in route I made the decision to land on Pelican Lake located about 20 mi south of Rhinelander WI. I made a few low passes over the lake to observe the surface conditions. I could see that there was only a few inches of snow on the lake and surface seemed to be flat (no snow drifting or ice heaves) so I set myself up for a soft field landing configuration. Upon main gear touching down the gear was restricted and pulled the nose of the aircraft to the ground (ice) slid about 25 yards then settled back onto main gear. The pilot's safety recommendation, in part, stated: This accident could have been prevented if I would have just stuck to my flight plan and [federal aviation regulations]. I realize that I made a very bad decision to land on the lake and have learned greatly from it.
The pilot selecting an unsuitable landing area. Factors were the snow and ice covered lake.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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