On February 11, 1987, a Beech 99 (registration N699CA) operated by Catskill Airways,inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Oneonta, NY. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain control during landing on a snow-covered runway, which resulted in the collapse of the left main landing gear and subsequent off-runway excursion. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
Aircraft landed short of runway 24 at Oneonta Municipal Airport in snowy conditions, causing the left main landing gear to collapse and the propeller to strike the runway surface.
What happened
The flight proceeded without incident until the aircraft arrived at Oneonta Municipal Airport. During the final approach for runway 24, the pilot landed approximately 10 feet short of the intended touchdown zone. The runway conditions included one foot of snow covering the surface.
Upon impact with the snowy runway, the left main landing gear collapsed immediately. The collapse caused the propeller to strike the runway surface. Following this initial failure, the aircraft veered off the left side of the runway and came to rest in a snow bank. This secondary impact resulted in further collapse of the landing gear structure.
The investigation
The physical evidence indicated that the initial point of contact was short of the runway threshold. The presence of significant snow depth contributed to the loss of structural integrity in the left main landing gear upon touchdown.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control during landing on a snow-covered runway, which resulted in the collapse of the left main landing gear and subsequent off-runway excursion.