Narrative:

I taxied my airplane from my hangar to the FBO fuel island across a snow covered ramp. The outside temperature was about +20 degrees F. After refueling the airplane tanks I taxied to the active runway for a departure to my destination airport to sharpen my traffic pattern skills in my recently purchased cessna. As I arrived in the traffic pattern I made an overflt to inspect the runway of choice, as the wind was very light as indicated by the windsock. I made my approach to land in an uneventful manner as I was the only plane in the pattern, the touchdown was smooth and the initial rollout right on the centerline of the runway. As the airplane began to slow to the point where I felt that some gentle braking action would be safe, I began to apply the brakes and the airplane continued to slow even more. The airplane then veered suddenly to the right side of the runway and eventually impacted the frozen, crusted snowbank that was left-over from runway maintenance and resulting in a damaged airplane. While trying to sort out the reasons for this incident, the airplane crossed a patch of very thin, dark colored ice in the center of the runway and as the plane crossed the ice the right main tire contacted the dry pavement before the left main tire cleared the ice, the loss of directional control could not be avoided. The ice was not detected during my flyover and not on final approach. Another possibility is that as I taxied the airplane to be refueled, snow may have adhered to the tire and then as tire rotation occurred during the taxi to the departure runway it fell on the brake caliper and as a function of brake operation the heat of the caliper melted the snow and turned it to ice after the aircraft became airborne, resulting in the possibility of uneven braking ability. This sounds like your average sunday afternoon fender-bender but the aircraft had to be removed from the side of the runway and FSS was notified, which resulted in a call from a FSDO inspector, and now for the rest of the story. During the conversation with the FSDO inspector I was reminded that my 3RD class medical had expired and my last BFR was more than 24 calendar months old. The moral of this situation is that you can make sure that all the correct paperwork is in the airplane, the proper inspections have been performed and perform a preflight inspection to make sure that the airplane is airworthy and also do a accurate analysis of a situation, you must not forget to preflight your own personal paperwork. The airplane was at such a slow speed that the tires would not skid when the pavement and the tire made contact so directional control loss was a complete surprise with no warning. It is impossible to determine the exact cause because after the airplane was in the hangar everything worked correct. I guess there are times when you do everything right and it goes wrong.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CESSNA PLT ENCOUNTERED SOME BLACK ICE ON LNDG AND APPLIED THE BRAKES WHILE THE L GEAR, AND POSSIBLY THE NOSE GEAR, WERE ON THE ICE AND THE R GEAR ON BARE CONCRETE. AS A RESULT, THE ACFT SWERVED R AND STRUCK A SNOWBANK ALONGSIDE THE RWY. DURING THE INVESTIGATION, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT HIS 3RD CLASS MEDICAL AND BFR HAD EXPIRED.

Narrative: I TAXIED MY AIRPLANE FROM MY HANGAR TO THE FBO FUEL ISLAND ACROSS A SNOW COVERED RAMP. THE OUTSIDE TEMP WAS ABOUT +20 DEGS F. AFTER REFUELING THE AIRPLANE TANKS I TAXIED TO THE ACTIVE RWY FOR A DEP TO MY DEST ARPT TO SHARPEN MY TFC PATTERN SKILLS IN MY RECENTLY PURCHASED CESSNA. AS I ARRIVED IN THE TFC PATTERN I MADE AN OVERFLT TO INSPECT THE RWY OF CHOICE, AS THE WIND WAS VERY LIGHT AS INDICATED BY THE WINDSOCK. I MADE MY APCH TO LAND IN AN UNEVENTFUL MANNER AS I WAS THE ONLY PLANE IN THE PATTERN, THE TOUCHDOWN WAS SMOOTH AND THE INITIAL ROLLOUT RIGHT ON THE CTRLINE OF THE RWY. AS THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO SLOW TO THE POINT WHERE I FELT THAT SOME GENTLE BRAKING ACTION WOULD BE SAFE, I BEGAN TO APPLY THE BRAKES AND THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED TO SLOW EVEN MORE. THE AIRPLANE THEN VEERED SUDDENLY TO THE R SIDE OF THE RWY AND EVENTUALLY IMPACTED THE FROZEN, CRUSTED SNOWBANK THAT WAS LEFT-OVER FROM RWY MAINT AND RESULTING IN A DAMAGED AIRPLANE. WHILE TRYING TO SORT OUT THE REASONS FOR THIS INCIDENT, THE AIRPLANE CROSSED A PATCH OF VERY THIN, DARK COLORED ICE IN THE CTR OF THE RWY AND AS THE PLANE CROSSED THE ICE THE R MAIN TIRE CONTACTED THE DRY PAVEMENT BEFORE THE L MAIN TIRE CLRED THE ICE, THE LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CTL COULD NOT BE AVOIDED. THE ICE WAS NOT DETECTED DURING MY FLYOVER AND NOT ON FINAL APCH. ANOTHER POSSIBILITY IS THAT AS I TAXIED THE AIRPLANE TO BE REFUELED, SNOW MAY HAVE ADHERED TO THE TIRE AND THEN AS TIRE ROTATION OCCURRED DURING THE TAXI TO THE DEP RWY IT FELL ON THE BRAKE CALIPER AND AS A FUNCTION OF BRAKE OP THE HEAT OF THE CALIPER MELTED THE SNOW AND TURNED IT TO ICE AFTER THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE, RESULTING IN THE POSSIBILITY OF UNEVEN BRAKING ABILITY. THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOUR AVERAGE SUNDAY AFTERNOON FENDER-BENDER BUT THE ACFT HAD TO BE REMOVED FROM THE SIDE OF THE RWY AND FSS WAS NOTIFIED, WHICH RESULTED IN A CALL FROM A FSDO INSPECTOR, AND NOW FOR THE REST OF THE STORY. DURING THE CONVERSATION WITH THE FSDO INSPECTOR I WAS REMINDED THAT MY 3RD CLASS MEDICAL HAD EXPIRED AND MY LAST BFR WAS MORE THAN 24 CALENDAR MONTHS OLD. THE MORAL OF THIS SIT IS THAT YOU CAN MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE CORRECT PAPERWORK IS IN THE AIRPLANE, THE PROPER INSPECTIONS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED AND PERFORM A PREFLT INSPECTION TO MAKE SURE THAT THE AIRPLANE IS AIRWORTHY AND ALSO DO A ACCURATE ANALYSIS OF A SIT, YOU MUST NOT FORGET TO PREFLT YOUR OWN PERSONAL PAPERWORK. THE AIRPLANE WAS AT SUCH A SLOW SPD THAT THE TIRES WOULD NOT SKID WHEN THE PAVEMENT AND THE TIRE MADE CONTACT SO DIRECTIONAL CTL LOSS WAS A COMPLETE SURPRISE WITH NO WARNING. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DETERMINE THE EXACT CAUSE BECAUSE AFTER THE AIRPLANE WAS IN THE HANGAR EVERYTHING WORKED CORRECT. I GUESS THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOU DO EVERYTHING RIGHT AND IT GOES WRONG.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.