I almost bought a 170 that a guy with verry little time no night rating brought home drunk at night and did a perfect landing in his nabours hedge instead of his runway. it high centered on the wings ,fliped over and banged the tail on the ground without prop striking it. then these idiots wraped a sling around the tail and wrecked the horisontal stab pulling it out with a picker truck. Obvously trying to get it out of there before the feds found out. thats the only one ive ever seen that didnt need a prop, it needed everything else though.

If you look at AirNav. com Beaver Marsh State Airport 2S2 under notes it says CLSD WINTERS. Bob

Narrative Type: NTSB FINAL NARRATIVE (6120.4)
As the pilot neared the airport, he decided to land as the passengers needed to use the airport's facilities. Using several visual clues, including some nearby vegetation, he estimated that the runway had a layer of snow on the surface several inches in depth. The airplane touched down on the snow covered runway and the airplane suddenly stopped, nosing over inverted. Once on the ground, the pilot found that the snow was in actuality over 1-foot deep. He reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine.

Narrative Type: NTSB PRELIMINARY NARRATIVE (6120.19)
In a written statement and telephone conversations with a National Transportation Safety Board investigator, the pilot reported that as he entered the vicinity of the destination airport, he decided to land as the passengers needed to use the airport's facilities. Using the visual clues of sprigs of grass, he determined that the runway had a layer of snow on the surface several inches in depth. After making a stabilized approach he touched down in the snow and the airplane suddenly stopped, nosing over inverted. After egressing the airplane, the pilot noted that the snow was in actuality over 1-foot deep.

The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine. He stated that because he could not confirm the snow cover, he should not have attempted to land at that airport. The wing spar sustained damage during the accident sequence.


Narrative Type: NTSB PROBABLE CAUSE NARRATIVE
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision to land on a snow covered runway without first determining the depth of the snow.

7853H wrote:And I suppose insurance will cover this act of stupidity !!

According to my insurance policy, I cannot land on snow with skis, or water with floats. I guess landing on snow with wheels is covered?!?

Low&Slow wrote:I'd kinda like to know how he was planning on getting back out of there, especially with 3 on board. Bummer.

This is what struck me when viewing this. Flipping like he did may have turned out to be a blessing. (no injuries). If he managed to make this landing without flipping over, he probably would have tried to take off, with predictable results. (like ending up in the tree's with a much more tragic ending for the passengers.) Le$$on learned.

If I were a betting man, I bet the passengers didn't have to go to the bathroom by the time they crawled out

Hey Bumper, what's your take on this???

They walked away... The passengers are the real innocent ones here.