On January 18, 1997, a Maule M-5 (registration N5654N) operated by James C. Glascow was involved in an aviation accident near Chugiak, AK. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's misjudgment of the runway end while landing on a snow-covered surface, which resulted in landing short and the subsequent nosing over of the aircraft. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot conducting a prepurchase flight test misjudged the end of a snow-covered runway, landing short and causing the aircraft to nose over in deep snow.
What happened
The pilot was operating an airplane on a return flight to its home base following a prepurchase flight test demonstration. During the approach for landing, the pilot, who was also the potential buyer of the aircraft, attempted to touch down on a runway covered with snow.
Due to the obscured visual cues provided by the snow cover, the pilot misjudged the distance to the end of the runway. The airplane touched down beyond the usable pavement and landed short. Upon impact, the main landing gear wheels sank deeply into the accumulated snow. This sudden loss of support caused the nose of the aircraft to pitch forward violently, resulting in the airplane nosing over.
The investigation
The primary factor identified was the pilot's inability to accurately gauge the runway length due to the weather conditions. The snow cover eliminated standard visual references for depth and distance perception during the final phase of flight.
Probable cause
The pilot's misjudgment of the runway end while landing on a snow-covered surface, which resulted in landing short and the subsequent nosing over of the aircraft.