The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped Aviat A-1C-180 told investigators that the intention of the flight was to fly over a friend’s property near Morgan, Utah, to determine how much snow had accumulated.
On a low approach without intent to land, the overcast sky and flat light made it difficult to determine his height above the field, and the airplane’s right wheel touched the soft snow and dug in.
The pilot attempted a go-around, however the left main tire then dug in.
He decided to land rather than lose directional control, however on rollout the airplane struck a snow drift that he could not see, and nosed over.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, vertical fin, and rudder.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from snow-covered terrain while maneuvering at low attitude. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s loss of visual reference due to snow and flat light conditions.
To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.
This December 2022 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.
If you collected all these stories from this list plus AOPA plus Juan Brown you could make a 1000-page book and a full-length feature film. This guy is lucky he lived. I haven’t figured out how you disconnect your seatbelt while suspended upside down with your full weight on that disconnect juncture. I am not a pilot but I have close friends who are and we sometimes review these stories. Those friends just wag their heads and make unprintable comments about their carelessness and lack of judgment, particularly as applied to deferred maintenance. It’s Russian Roulette with an airplane instead of a gun. /J
And the reason for determining the snow accumulation was? Here, hold my beer…😆
…To see if the runway needed to be cleared.
By using landing gear as a depth gauge?