Incident Details
A commercial pilot was conducting a landing on a privately maintained runway covered with snow. The runway was reported to be 1,200 feet long. During the landing roll, the left wing of the airplane struck a snow berm, resulting in substantial damage to the aircraft.
Pilot's Actions
The pilot informed the NTSB investigator-in-charge that prior to the flight, his flight scheduler had relayed information from a village agent indicating that the runway had been plowed, graded, and was open. The pilot performed a low pass over the runway to inspect its condition and reported that it appeared open from the air.
Runway Conditions
Investigation revealed that the runway had actually been plowed to a length of approximately 1,000 feet and a width of about 40 feet. Snow berms along the sides of the runway reached heights of around 6 feet. The pilot noted that these berms were not visible from the air. The wing tips of the airplane were approximately 4 feet high, making them lower than the surrounding berms.
Published Information
The Alaska Supplement for the airport includes a statement that runways are not maintained during the winter months. This information was part of the official documentation available to pilots.