Piper PA22 accident near Big Lake, Alaska, February 23, 2017
On February 23, 2017 at about 1:30 am local time, a 1956 Piper PA22, registered N6024D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Big Lake, Alaska (Big Lake airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The contamination of snow and ice on the left main landing gear and brake, which prevented the wheel from rolling during touchdown and resulted in a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 2017 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · Big Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA22 150, built 1956 · all PA22s on the register
- Registration
- N6024D · registry record · serial 22-4677
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, after conducting two touch-and-go landings at a nearby airport, he decided to land at a different airport to speak with a friend. He added that everything seemed normal during the touchdown on the snow-covered runway but that the airplane then "abruptly stopped and [nosed] over." The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the rudder. The pilot reported that the inside of the left main landing gear and brake was "packed with ice" and had frozen, which prevented the wheel from rotating during the landing roll.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Snow/slush/ice covered surface › Effect on operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Wheel/ski/float › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 599 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 2.2 in the last 30 days; 560 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 21, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,437 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 1,457 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IYS Wasilla AK
- Destination: BGQ Big Lake AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,450 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 12°F (-11°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 2:16 pm from PAWS, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 20, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo (Courtesy of Pilot) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.