No fatalities

12 Nov 2018: Cessna 172 N — Piseco, NY

Piseco, NY, United States

On 12 Nov 2018, a Cessna 172 N was involved in an aviation accident near Piseco, NY. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s loss of directional control during landing, which resulted in impact with a snow pile and necessitated a go-around, during which the airplane impacted trees. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During landing on a snow-plowed runway, the airplane slipped sideways, a wheel hit a snow pile, and the pilot executed a go-around that ended with impact into a grove of trees.

Incident Details

A pilot reported that while landing on a snow-plowed airport, the airplane unexpectedly slipped sideways during touchdown. A wheel then struck a snow pile, which caused the airplane's heading to pivot to the left side of the runway. The pilot immediately applied full power to initiate a go-around, but the airplane subsequently impacted a grove of trees. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Aircraft Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing as a result of the impact.

Weather Information

The automated weather observation station located at an airport approximately 40 miles away reported that, around the time of the accident, the wind was from 120° at 5 knots. The pilot, however, reported the wind as 290° at 5 knots. The airplane was landing on runway 04.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedHeading/course — Not attained/maintainedPilotEffect on operation