Cessna 172A N4682G

Summary

On 11 March 2005 at about 20:15 local time, a Cessna 172A registered N4682G, operated by West Valley Flying Club, was involved in an accident near Emigrant Gap, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 March 2005 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Emigrant Gap, California, United States

Nearest airport

Blue Canyon - Nyack Airport (KBLU)

Coordinates

39.2747, -120.7097

Aircraft

Cessna 172A

Registration

N4682G

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

West Valley Flying Club

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Carlos → Emigrant Gap

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05CA111

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and his selection of an unsuitable landing area, resulting in an encounter with a snow-covered runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane nosed over during a touch-and-go landing on a snow covered runway. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were bent when the airplane came to rest inverted. Upon arrival in the airport vicinity, the pilot flew over the airport three times. He noted that one end of the runway was visible and that the remaining 3/4 of the runway was covered in snow. Visually, the snow did not appear to be of any great depth. Based on the reported winds, the pilot decided to perform a touch-and-go on the snow-covered portion of the runway. As the airplane touched down, the landing gear entered the snow and the airplane nosed-over. The pilot noted no preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The Airport Facility Directory Southwest (AFD/SW) contains the following entry, in part, for the accident airport: "CLOSED winters due to snow." The pilot reported that he reviewed the AFD/SW, but did not read the "Remarks" section.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.