Cessna 305A N6897 accident near Spooner, Wisconsin

Probable cause

The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing on a snow-covered lake.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that prior to landing, he performed two low level passes to determine a safe landing area on the frozen lake. He said that during the landing, the left landing gear ski touched down and he heard a bang as the left ski impacted a snow-covered raised ice ridge. He slowed the airplane for the landing rollout and the airplane came to rest upright. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear box structure was bent and the bulkheads were damaged. The examination did not disclose any evidence of a mechanical malfunction. The pilot reported that he should have landed the airplane in the middle of lake which likely would have had less slush and rough ice.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN11CA139 for the full record.