No fatalities

27 Feb 2011: CESSNA A150M — Grass Valley, CA

Grass Valley, CA, United States

On 27 Feb 2011, a CESSNA A150M was involved in an aviation accident near Grass Valley, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft's encounter with deep snow during the landing roll out. Contributing to the accident was the airport manager's failure to update the AWOS recording to reflect the closure of the runway due to snow. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot landed on a snow-covered runway at a non-towered airport. The AWOS recording did not indicate the runway was closed due to a power outage. After touchdown, the airplane nosed over in deep snow, sustaining substantial damage.

Accident Details

Upon entering the airport environment, the pilot observed a snow-covered runway. He obtained an automated weather observation report (AWOS) for the non-towered airport. The recording provided no indication that the runway was closed. Shortly after touchdown, as the airplane began its rollout, the landing gear entered an area of 12-inch-deep snow, causing the airplane to nose over.

Weather and Runway Conditions

After exiting the airplane, the pilot spoke to the airport manager. The manager informed him that a power outage in the area had prevented updating the AWOS recording to inform pilots of the runway closure due to snow.

Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and to both wings.

Pilot Statement

The pilot stated that there were no mechanical abnormalities with the airplane prior to the accident.

Contributing factors

Causes

Effect on equipmentContributed to outcome

Other contributing factors

Airport personnel