Accident Details
On January 12, 2021, at 1658 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-32R-301, registration N35718, sustained substantial damage during a landing accident at Paul C. Miller Airport (8D4) in Sparta, Michigan. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, tire tracks in the snow indicated that the airplane touched down about 18 feet short of the runway. It then encountered a snowbank less than 3 feet high adjacent to the runway threshold. The landing gear collapsed, and the airplane skidded down the runway before coming to rest approximately 1,000 feet from the approach threshold.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that he misjudged the end of the runway after executing a GPS approach, leading to the airplane impacting the snowbank at the end of the runway. He stated there were no malfunctions with the airplane before the accident. He noted that maintaining the glideslope guidance provided by the precision approach path indicator might have prevented the accident. Additionally, he mentioned that cancelling his instrument flight plan while still on the approach proved distracting. The pilot added that the airframe accumulated about half an inch of ice during the descent and approach in instrument meteorological conditions, but the airplane was flying well.
Weather Conditions
The pilot obtained a preflight weather briefing before the accident flight. He was advised of airman's meteorological information (AIRMET) advisories for icing and instrument conditions. Multiple pilot reports (PIREPs) for in-flight airframe icing were received by air traffic control, along with one negative icing report. The airplane was not certificated for flight into icing conditions.