What happened
On January 26, 2020, a Socata – Groupe Aerospatiale TB 9, registration SE-LMC, was performing a local training flight at Hamar Airport (ENHA). The flight involved a series of touch-and-go landings on runway 33. At the time of the incident, the runway surface consisted of a mixture of bare pavement, snow, and frost, though conditions were generally considered acceptable by the pilot and other aviators operating in the area.
Following the final landing, the pilot attempted to turn the aircraft to taxi back to the parking area. During this maneuver, the aircraft began to skid and drifted off the runway surface. The aircraft struck a longitudinal snowbank, approximately 25 cm high, which had frozen into ice following a period of mild weather. The impact caused the nose gear strut to break and resulted in significant damage to the leading edge of the left wing as the aircraft tilted toward the side.
There were no injuries to the pilot or the single passenger on board.
The investigation
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority (NSIA) examined the runway conditions and the pilot's maneuvers. The investigation established that the runway surface had varying levels of friction due to the presence of snow and frost. The investigators also noted that the runway gradient slopes downward in the area where the excursion occurred, which could have made deceleration more difficult on slippery patches.
Findings
- The pilot likely initiated the turn toward the parking area too early while the aircraft was still carrying excessive speed for the available friction.
- The pilot's limited experience may have contributed to the failure to maintain a sufficient safety margin, such as coming to a complete stop on the partially icy runway before attempting the turn.
- The frozen state of the snowbank increased the severity of the impact upon contact.