• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
General Aviation News

General Aviation News

Because flying is cool

  • Pictures of the Day
    • Submit Picture of the Day
  • Stories
    • News
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Products
    • NTSB Accidents
    • ASRS Reports
  • Comments
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ad
  • Events
  • Digital Archives
  • Subscribe
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Complacent pilot misses runway

By NTSB · April 3, 2012 ·

This April 2010 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.

Aircraft: Cessna 210. Injuries: None. Location: Truckee, Calif. Aircraft damage: Substantial.

What reportedly happened: During the approach to the destination airport, the pilot obtained an airport condition report from airport personnel indicating that there was ice with a layer of snow blanketing the runway surface. The pilot aligned the airplane for landing and flared over what he thought was the normal touchdown point.

While on the landing roll the airplane encountered a snow berm at the edge of a cross runway that collapsed the nose landing gear and damaged the firewall. The pilot determined that he was actually about 50 feet north of, and parallel to, the runway.

The pilot opined that his complacency and deviation from standard aeronautical decision making practices resulted in the accident.

Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to identify the snow-covered runway, which resulted in an off-runway landing and subsequent collision with a berm.

For more information: NTSB.gov. NTSB Identification: WPR10CA190

 

 

 

People who read this article also read articles on airparks, airshow, airshows, avgas, aviation fuel, aviation news, aircraft owner, avionics, buy a plane, FAA, fly-in, flying, general aviation, learn to fly, pilots, Light-Sport Aircraft, LSA, and Sport Pilot.

About NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant events in the other modes of transportation, including railroad, transit, highway, marine, pipeline, and commercial space. It determines the probable causes of accidents and issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing future occurrences.

Share this story

  • Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit Share on Reddit
  • Share via Email Share via Email

Become better informed pilot.

Join 110,000 readers each month and get the latest news and entertainment from the world of general aviation direct to your inbox, daily.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Curious to know what fellow pilots think on random stories on the General Aviation News website? Click on our Recent Comments page to find out. Read our Comment Policy here.

© 2025 Flyer Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Writer’s Guidelines
  • Photographer’s Guidelines