2002-03 · NASA ASRS report 540971
LOSS OF ACFT CTL WHEN A CPR BE30 SUPER KING AIR PLT ENCOUNTERS A SNOW BERM ON LNDG DURING A NIGHT OP AT LAR; WY.
DUE TO POOR RWY ALIGNMENT I LANDED WITH THE R MAIN GEAR ON AN UNPLOWED PORTION OF THE RWY. THIS PULLED THE ACFT INTO THE SNOW AND OFF THE RWY RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE R PROP. DISTR IN THE COCKPIT AND A CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT WERE THE 2 MAJOR FACTORS THAT LED TO THIS INCIDENT. THE FLT DEPARTED CHEYENNE FOR LARAMIE. CONTACT WITH CTR; AWOS AND UNICOM WERE UNCLR TO ME (PIC) DUE TO THE DIFFERENCE IN MY AND THE COPLT'S RADIO SWITCH POS. I NEVER DID HEAR THE RPTED VISIBILITY. WE BOTH HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE ARPT IN VISUAL CONDITION AT MORE THAN 10 MI FROM THE ARPT. HAVING THE ARPT IN SIGHT I WAS NOT OVERLY CONCERNED AS TO THE VISIBILITY AND CONCENTRATED MY ATTN ON OTHER THINGS. DUE TO LACK OF VISUAL REFS AND DISTRS ON FINAL APCH; I DID NOT ALIGN THE ACFT WITH THE RWY AS WELL AS I COULD HAVE. ON SHORT FINAL; THE COPLT CHANGED THE INTENSITY OF THE ARPT'S LIGHTS AT LEAST 3 TIMES. THE LAST NOTICEABLE INTENSITY OF THE LIGHTS BEFORE TOUCHDOWN WAS LESS THAN MAX. THE LESSER AND CHANGING INTENSITY OF THE RWY LIGHTS CREATED DISTR IN THE CRITICAL PHASE OF LNDG THE ACFT. THOUGH I COULD SEE THE RWY; AS I FLARED I LOST THE LIGHTS. POS ON THE RWY BECAME UNCLR. THE RWY WAS COVERED WITH ICE; A THIN LAYER OF SNOW AND NOT PLOWED TO FULL WIDTH. I DID NOT SEE THAT PART OF THE RWY WAS UNPLOWED. THE UNPLOWED PORTION NEAR THE ACFT WAS NOT VISIBLE DUE TO THE NOSE OF THE ACFT. FURTHER DOWN THE RWY; WHERE I COULD SEE; IT BLENDED IN WITH THE SURROUNDINGS. POOR RWY ALIGNMENT DUE TO LOSS OF VISUAL REFS (WHETHER DUE TO DISTR; ILLUMINATION OR BOTH) I LANDED WITH THE R MAIN GEAR ON AN UNPLOWED PORTION OF THE RWY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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