What happened
During a night arrival at Grande Prairie Airport, an aircraft traveling from Fort Saint John experienced a loss of directional control. The flight proceeded without incident until the approach phase, during which the pilot landed the aircraft slightly left of the runway centerline. At the time of the landing, the runway surface was covered with approximately two inches of snow.
Upon touchdown, the left wing of the aircraft made contact with a windrow of snow. This impact caused the aircraft to veer off the prepared surface and slide into the surrounding snow. There were no injuries reported among the five occupants on board, though the aircraft sustained damage that rendered it a total loss.
Findings
- The aircraft's left wing struck a buildup of snow located on the runway surface.
- Contact with a snow windrow led to the loss of control and subsequent excursion from the runway.