Maule MX-7-235 N188DL accident near Chickala, Arkansas

Probable cause

The pilot’s decision to land on the snow-covered runway and his failure to attain/maintain aircraft control during landing rollout.

NTSB analysis

The pilot of the personal flight reported that the flight was destined to his privately-owned airstrip, which was covered with approximately six inches of “very wet and dense” snow. During landing rollout, the airplane’s deceleration was typical but then decelerated faster than the pilot “could imagine.” The airplane tail rose very quickly, and the airplane then nosed over coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left and right wings, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder. The pilot reported that there was no preaccident failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot also reported that the accident could have been prevented by using a snow depth limit of four inches if its liquid water content is unknown, and if landing in similar conditions, to land with a little power to keep the tail down.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN23LA096 for the full record.