What happened
During an initial ILS approach to runway 1, the flight crew encountered difficulty identifying the runway environment. As the pilot flying transitioned from instrument references to visual references, the crew observed a structure that was not the runway, leading the pilot monitoring to initiate a go-around. The crew likely mistook an automated weather observing system wind sensor pole for part of the runway. During this first approach, the visibility was significantly obscured by what the crew described as "white on white."
On the subsequent approach, the captain instructed the pilot flying to maintain instrument references until reaching the decision altitude of 2-00 feet above ground level. Although airport maintenance personnel indicated that high-intensity runway lights were active, the crew experienced continued difficulty with visual identification. As the aircraft descended below 100 feet, both crewmembers expressed confusion regarding their visual field. Despite this uncertainty, no go-around was initiated. The aircraft subsequently struck a snow-covered grassy area situated between runway 1 and a parallel taxiway.
Findings
- The runway surface was covered in approximately 1/8 inch of snow, with only about 20% to 25% of the pavement visible.
- The pilot flying reported seeing "white on white" and blowing snow when transitioning to outside references during the second approach.
- The failure to initiate a go-around despite the lack of visual runway identification led to the impact in the grassy area.