What happened
During the landing phase at Red Devil Airfield, the aircraft made contact with a three-foot-high snow berm located on the runway. The obstruction was positioned approximately 40 feet from the edge of the runway surface. Following the impact with the unmarked mound of snow, the plane came to a complete stop.
While the incident resulted in the aircraft being damaged beyond repair, there were no casualties. Both members of the crew escaped the event without any injuries.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several contributing environmental and operational factors. The primary issue was the presence of an unmarked snowberm on the runway surface. Additionally, the following conditions were noted:
- The airport environment contained significant snow accumulation on the runway
- There were various unmarked obstructions present at the airfield
- Airport supervisory staff did not provide notification regarding these unsafe conditions or mark the specific hazard