Accident Details
On March 14, 2009, at approximately 1252 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-31-350 airplane, registration N4112K, sustained substantial damage while landing at Buckland Airport, Buckland, Alaska. The aircraft was operated by Frontier Flying Service of Anchorage, Alaska, as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country cargo flight under Title 14 CFR Part 135. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Kotzebue, Alaska, about 1215.
Pilot Statement
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge on March 24, the pilot reported that he had not received any braking action reports for the unattended destination airport. He noted that he had landed there the previous day and found the runway condition acceptable. On the accident landing, the pilot stated that upon touchdown the braking action was nil. He realized approximately 500 feet from the departure end of the runway that stopping would be problematic, but he decided not to abort the landing. The airplane slid off the end of the runway and struck a snowbank, causing structural damage to the left wing. The pilot reported no known mechanical issues with the airplane prior to the accident. After the accident, he examined the runway surface and determined it was light snow over ice. He believed that the sun had melted a layer of snow, which then refroze into a layer of ice.
Airport Information
The FAA Flight Information Supplement for Alaska, Buckland Airport, includes an airport remark stating: "Unattended. Runway condition not monitored, recommend visual inspection prior to landing."