Primary finding
Probable cause
failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from a snow berm during the landing. The snow berm and flat light conditions were related factors.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot and a passenger were landing on a frozen lake at the conclusion of a cross-country flight. The pilot reported that overcast clouds and flat lighting conditions prevented him from seeing an approximate 3 feet high snow berm at the approach end of the landing area. The berm resulted from snow plowing operations to create an ice skating area on the lake. During the landing flare, the landing gear skis struck the top of the berm. The airplane came to rest on the ice and received damage to the landing gear and right wing lift strut.
Source record
Factual narrative
On January 15, 1997, about 1500 Alaska standard time, a ski equipped experimental homebuilt, Curt Hefty, Polar Cub, N62905, crashed during landing on a frozen lake in Anchorage, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane, registered to and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot and the sole passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated from Big Lake, Alaska, about 1430. In a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on January 16, 1997, at 0835, the pilot reported he was landing toward the south on Jewel Lake. Overcast clouds and flat lighting conditions prevented him from seeing about a 3 feet high snow berm at the approach end of the landing area. The berm resulted from snow plowing operations to create an ice skating area on the lake. During the landing flare, the landing gear skis struck the top of the berm. The airplane came to rest on the ice and received damage to the landing gear and right wing lift strut. -