On December 30, 2003, a Bellanca 8KCAB (registration N727MR) operated by William D. Gonce was involved in an aviation accident near Bend, OR. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Directional control not maintained during landing. Factors include an icy runway and a snow bank. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
After landing and reducing engine power, the aircraft veered left despite right rudder input, exited the runway, struck a snow bank, and nosed over. The pilot described the runway as extremely icy.
Event Details
The pilot of a private aircraft reported that, immediately after completing a wheel landing and reducing the engine power to idle, the airplane began to track left of the runway centerline. Despite applying right rudder and other corrective actions, the pilot was unable to prevent the aircraft from continuing its leftward movement.
Sequence of Events
The airplane subsequently departed the runway edge, encountered a two-foot-high snow bank, and nosed over. The pilot noted that the landing runway surface was "extremely icy" at the time of the accident.
Pilot Actions
The pilot reported applying right rudder and corrective inputs in an attempt to counter the leftward tracking, but the airplane did not respond sufficiently to regain centerline alignment before exiting the runway.