Incident Details
The accident occurred during nighttime taxi operations at an airport. The pilot was preparing for departure and began taxiing on a 1,463-foot-long taxiway that was snow-covered, unlit, and unmarked. The taxiway was crossed at a shallow angle by an unmarked vehicle road, which the pilot inadvertently entered.
While proceeding along the vehicle road, the pilot observed headlights of an oncoming vehicle directly ahead. Recognizing that he was no longer on the taxiway, he turned the airplane towards the runway lights. During this maneuver, the airplane dropped into a ditch adjacent to the road.
Pilot Experience
According to the investigation, the pilot had used the same taxiway on three prior occasions since being stationed at the airport. All previous taxi operations had been conducted during daylight hours, and the pilot had no prior experience taxiing on that route at night.
Conditions
The taxiway was described as having a snow-covered surface and no lighting or markings. The vehicle road intersecting the taxiway was also unmarked, contributing to the pilot's difficulty in distinguishing it from the taxiway in the dark conditions.
The accident sequence did not involve any other aircraft or ground personnel. The airplane sustained damage from the ditch excursion, but the extent of damage is not specified in the source material.