A B200 STRUCK A SNOW RIDGE LEFT BY A SNOW PLOW; EXITED THE RWY; BROKE THE NOSE GEAR OFF AND STRUCK THE PROPS ON THE GND.
Synopsis
A B200 STRUCK A SNOW RIDGE LEFT BY A SNOW PLOW; EXITED THE RWY; BROKE THE NOSE GEAR OFF AND STRUCK THE PROPS ON THE GND.
Narrative
AFTER COMPLETING A LOC RWY APCH INTO ZZZ AT APPROX XA20 LCL TIME; I SET UP FOR A NORMAL LNDG. WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT AT APPROX 2 MI OUT. AT THIS POINT IN TIME THE LNDG GEAR WERE DOWN AND LOCKED AND FULL FLAPS WERE SET AND AIRSPD WAS 121 KIAS. I CROSSED OVER THE NUMBERS AT 105 KIAS AND NOTICED THE RWY WAS COVERED WITH SNOW. MY PLAN WAS TO LAND AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID USE OF THE BRAKES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AS BRAKING ACTION WAS UNKNOWN AT THE TIME AND I ASSUMED THE RWY WAS SLICK. I MADE A NICE SOFT FULL STALL LNDG ON CTRLINE AT APPROX 75-80 KIAS. AS WE BEGAN TO SLOW AND AS THE NOSEWHEEL CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE RWY THE CAPT ADVISED ME TO USE CAUTION WHEN GOING INTO REVERSE; (PWR SETTING AT THIS TIME WAS IDLE). I ADVISED HIM THAT I WASN'T GOING TO USE REVERSE AND WAS GOING TO JUST COAST AND ALLOW THE PLANE TO SLOW. THE PLANE THEN BEGAN TO DRIFT TO THE L; THE CAPT INFORMED ME THAT WE WERE DRIFTING L AND I RESPONDED THAT I WAS CORRECTING (I WAS USING RUDDER ONLY AT THIS POINT). I NOTICED HIM ASSISTING ME IN THE USE OF R RUDDER AND BEFORE WE COULD TAKE ANY MORE EVASIVE ACTIONS THE PLANE SNAPPED SIDEWAYS TO THE L AND I YELLED AT THE CAPT AND ASKED WHY HE USED THE BRAKES! HIS RESPONSE WAS THAT HE DIDN'T TOUCH THE BRAKES. THE PLANE THEN VEERED OFF THE L OF THE RWY SNAPPING THE NOSEWHEEL OFF AND THE PROPS STRUCK THE GND. THE PLANE CAME TO A STOP IN A DITCH AND WE MADE AN EMER SHUTDOWN OF THE ENGS; HIT THE MASTER SWITCH (GANG BAR) AND SHOUTED TO THE PAX TO GET OUT! THE EVAC WAS SUCCESSFUL AND NO ONE WAS INJURED. AFTER MAKING SURE EVERYONE WAS OK THE CAPT BEGAN TO MAKE PHONE CALLS TO OUR OPS TO ACTIVATE OUR DISASTER PLAN. I REENTERED THE AIRPLANE AND CONTACTED ZZZ CLRNC TO TELL THEM ABOUT THE ACCIDENT AND REQUESTED HELP. I BEGAN TO WALK THE RWY LOOKING FOR CLUES AS TO WHAT HAPPENED; THE RWY WAS COVERED WITH APPROX 1/8 INCH OF DRY SNOW WITH PATCHY ICE UNDERNEATH AND WAS DIFFICULT TO WALK ON WITHOUT SLIPPING. I WALKED BACK TO THE NUMBERS AND NOTICED THAT MY WHEEL TRACKS DID START ON CTRLINE JUST SLIGHTLY L OF CTR AND SHOWED A STRAIGHT LINE TRACK DRIFTING TO THE L. AT THE POINT WHERE THE AIRPLANE SNAPPED SIDEWAYS I NOTICED THAT IT LOOKED LIKE A SNOW PLOW HAD PLOWED SNOW FROM THE TXWY ONTO THE RWY HEADING IN THE SAME DIRECTION THAT WE WERE LNDG LEAVING BEHIND A SNOW BANK THAT I DIDN'T NOTICE ON LNDG BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS COATED WITH A FRESH COAT OF SNOW AND THERE WERE NO CONTRASTING COLORS TO ALLOW ME TO SEE THE SNOW BANK. I THEN CONCLUDED THAT THIS WAS THE POINT WHEN I YELLED AT THE CAPT FOR HITTING THE BRAKES; IT WAS IN FACT THE SNOW BANK THAT CAUSED US TO SNAP SIDEWAYS. A POLICE OFFICER THAT WAS INVESTIGATING POINTED OUT THAT OUR TRACKS STOPPED AND STARTED AGAIN AT THAT SAME POINT INDICATING THAT WE WENT AIRBORNE FOR A SPLIT SECOND AFTER HITTING THE SNOW BANK. I STILL DO NOT KNOW WHAT CAUSED ME TO DRIFT TO THE L; THE WINDS WERE FROM THE L AND WOULD HAVE PUSHED ME R IF I WERE NOT CORRECTING PROPERLY. IT DID SEEM TO GO L MORE AND MORE AS WE SLOWED AND RUDDER WAS NOT EFFECTIVE TO BRING US BACK TO THE R. I NOTICED THAT ALL THE CTLS WERE PEGGED R INDICATING THAT I WAS DOING EVERYTHING I COULD TO GET THE PLANE TO GO BACK TO THE R. I NOTICED THAT WHEN THEY WERE TOWING THE AIRPLANE OUT OF THE DITCH THAT THE L WHEELS WERE LOCKED UP AND I POINTED IT OUT TO THE FAA PERSON ON SITE AND HE TOOK VIDEO TO SHOW THAT THE WHEELS WERE IN FACT LOCKED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 728609: THE PLANE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO DRIFT TO THE L; WHICH I MENTIONED TO THE FO. HE SAID HE WAS CORRECTING. WE WERE ONLY USING RUDDER ONLY AT THIS POINT. I STARTED TO SHADOW HIM WITH MY FOOT HOVERING OVER THE R RUDDER. BEFORE WE COULD TAKE EVASIVE ACTIONS THE PLANE SNAPPED SIDEWAYS TO THE L. THE FO YELLED 'WHY DID YOU HIT THE (EXPLETIVE) BRAKES.' I SAID I DIDN'T TOUCH THE BRAKES. THE PLANE VEERED OFF TO THE L OF THE RWY SNAPPING THE NOSEWHEEL OFF AND THE PROPS STRUCK THE GND. THE PLANE CAME TO A STOP IN A DITCH AND WE MADE AN EMER SHUTDOWN OF THE ENGS; HIT THE MASTER SWITCH(GANG BAR); AND SHOUTED TO THE PAX TO GET OUT! THE EVAC WAS SUCCESSFUL AND NO ONE WAS INJURED.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.