Cirrus SR22 N486CD accident near Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to apply brakes in a timely manner while landing on a snow-packed, ice-covered runway, and his delay in executing a go-around.

NTSB analysis

The pilot said that he received a full weather briefing and that there were no NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen) for snow or ice on the runways. The pilot executed a global-positioning-system (GPS) approach to Runway 32. Because the runway has a displaced threshold and because he was flying the GPS approach, his touchdown point was the south runway marker, or 1,000 feet from the runway threshold. The airplane touched down between 80 to 90 knots. The pilot said that he did not apply "hard" brakes because he had been "conditioned to be conservative with the brakes" to avoid overheating them. As he passed a taxiway and started applying the brakes, the airplane hit a patch of ice and turned sideways to the right. The pilot was able to realign the airplane with the runway, but he was approximately 800 to 1,000 feet from the runway's end and still traveling approximately 50 knots. He decided to execute a go-around. As the airplane lifted off, the landing gear struck a snow berm at the end of the runway and the airplane came to rest inverted about 50 feet beyond the end of the runway.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN09LA165 for the full record.