What happened
During an instrument landing system approach to Runway 31, Ozark Airlines Flight 814 encountered deteriorating weather conditions that reached the minimums required for the procedure. As the aircraft descended to 50 feet above the decision altitude, the first officer reported sighting the runway. The captain requested the activation of the landing lights, which the first officer promptly turned on.
The captain subsequently noted that the intense brightness of the lights made it difficult to see outside, leading to a determination that either the weather had worsened or the lighting had reduced visibility to an unsafe level. Consequently, the decision was made to execute a go-around maneuver. The flight crew initiated the climb and diverted the aircraft to St. Louis, Missouri.
Post-incident inspection revealed that the left main landing gear had momentarily touched down in the snow 16 feet off the left side of Runway 31. Investigators located a track measuring 4 feet wide by 100 feet long at this location, confirming the brief contact with the ground before the aircraft lifted off again.
The investigation
Examination of the physical evidence focused on the area adjacent to Runway 31. Inspectors identified a distinct track in the snow consistent with the passage of an aircraft tire. The dimensions and position of the track confirmed that the left main landing gear had briefly contacted the surface just outside the runway edge. No further mechanical failures were cited as contributing factors in the provided narrative.
Findings
The primary factor influencing the event was the decision to initiate a go-around due to reduced visibility. The captain's assessment that the landing lights exacerbated the difficulty of seeing through the weather played a central role in the crew's actions. The weather conditions at the time had dropped to approach minimums, creating a high-workload environment where visual references were critical yet compromised.