What happened
During an approach to the airport, the flight crew was notified that visibility had dropped to 1/8 mile due to the presence of fog, light rain, and obscuration. These conditions were below the established landing visibility minimums of 1 mile. At the time of the incident, the runway, which measured 150 feet in width, had only been cleared of snow to a width of 100 feet, leaving 3-foot-high snowbanks on both sides of the cleared path.
As the aircraft was nearing touchdown, the second pilot informed the pilot in command that the plane was positioned too far to the left and required a correction toward the right. Upon landing, the aircraft struck the unplowed section of the runway, making contact with a snowbank. This impact resulted in the collapse of the landing gear. While the crew reported maintaining sight of the approach lights and runway throughout the descent, the tower controller reported losing visual contact with the aircraft during the landing phase due to the fog.
Findings
- The runway had not been fully cleared, leaving significant snow accumulation on the edges of the paved surface.
- The aircraft impacted an unplowed area of the runway.