No fatalities

23 Jan 2012: CESSNA 207A — Rediske Air — Nikiski, AK

Nikiski, AK, United States

On 23 Jan 2012, a CESSNA 207A operated by Rediske Air was involved in an aviation accident near Nikiski, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The accident was caused by the pilot's failure to correctly identify the runway surface, with the covering of runway lights by heavy snow acting as a contributing factor. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 13 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot misidentified the runway surface during a night landing, resulting in the aircraft striking a snowbank.

What happened

On January 23, 2012, a Cessna 207A, registration N800DF, was performing a night landing in Nikiski, Alaska. During the straight-in approach, the pilot misidentified the runway surface and subsequently landed the aircraft in a snowbank located on the left side of the runway. There were no injuries resulting from the event.

The weather at the time of the accident was Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) with a visibility of 10 statute miles and winds from 140 degrees at 5 knots. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer and both wings.

Probable cause

The accident was caused by the pilot's failure to correctly identify the runway surface, with the covering of runway lights by heavy snow acting as a contributing factor.

Contributing factors

Causes

Pilot

Other contributing factors

Decision related to conditionContributed to outcome