# Accident 20020323004169A: Cessna 182F, Pell City, AL, March 23, 2002 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: March 23, 2002, 17:22 local time - Place: Pell City, AL - Airport: St Clair County Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 33.5589° N, 86.2494° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.5589&lon=-86.2494&mi=10 - Aircraft: N3486U, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3486U) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 182F (registry code 2072714, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182f) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental O-470 series (registry code 17026, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 182F - Reported engine: CONT O470R - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 1,025 total, 50 in this make and model, 11 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA02LA069](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA02LA069) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020323004169A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) INEFFECTIVE ELEVATOR CONTROL BECAME APPARENT DURING TAKE OFF ROLL. (ONGOING INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF POSSIBLE CONTROL MALFUNCTION). PILOT CONTINUED TAKE OFF, CLIMBED TO ALTITUDE, RELEASED JUMPERS, THEN ATTEMPTED AIRPORT LANDING WITHOUT ELEVATOR - BOUNCED SEVERAL TIMES, COLLAPSING NOSE GEAR - LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, SKIDDED FROM RUNWAY. (.19) ON MARCH 23, 2002, ABOUT 1722 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 182F, N3486U, REGISTERED TO ALABAMA SKYDIVING, INC., OPERATING AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PARACHUTE JUMP FLIGHT, SUSTAINED A HARD LANDING AND A NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE AT PELL CITY, ALABAMA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE COMMERCIAL-RATED PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED ABOUT 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE THOUGHT HE DETECTED LESS THAN NORMAL ELEVATOR AUTHORITY ON TAKEOFF WITH TWOPARACHUTE JUMPERS ABOARD. HAVING RELEASED HIS JUMPERS, ON RETURN TO THE FIELD, DURING HIS LANDING FLARE HE STATED HE RAN OUT OF ELEVATOR NOSE-UP AUTHORITY AND LANDED HARD. THE LANDING WAS HARD ENOUGH TO COLLAPSE THE NOSE GEAR AND DAMAGE THE FIRWALL. (.4) ON MARCH 23, 2002, ABOUT 1722 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 182F, N3486U, REGISTERED TO ALABAMA SKYDIVING, INC., OPERATING AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PARACHUTE JUMP FLIGHT, SUSTAINED A HARD LANDING AND A NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE AT PELL CITY, ALABAMA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE COMMERCIALLY-RATED PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED ABOUT 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT PERFORMED NORMALLY IN ALL ASPECTS. BEGINNING HIS FOURTH PARACHUTE DROP FLIGHT OF THE DAY, AFTER A TAKEOFF ROLL OF ABOUT 3,000 FEET AND 5 TO 10 FEET ABOVE THE 5,002 FOOT RUNWAY, HE DETECTED LESS THAN NORMAL ELEVATOR AUTHORITY WITH TWO PARACHUTE JUMPERS ABOARD. HE DECIDED TO CONTINUE THE TAKEOFF BECAUSE HE HAD CONFIDENCE IN THE POWER OF THE ENGINE, AND BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF AVAILABLE RUNWAY REMAINING FOR AN ABORT. HAVING CLIMBED TO RELEASE ALTITUDE, (3,500 FEET, AGL) AND RELEASING HIS JUMPERS, ON RETURN TO THE FIELD, HE DECIDED HIS BEST ALTERNATIVE WAS TO USE POWER TO CONTROL THE NOSE ATTITUDE. DURING HIS LANDING FLARE, HE ADDED POWER TO RAISE THE NOSE AND TOUCH DOWN ON THE MAIN WHEELS, BUT THE TOUCHDOWN WAS HARD AND THE AIRCRAFT STARTED A PORPOISE. THE THIRD TOUCHDOWN WAS HARD ENOUGH TO COLLAPSE THE NOSE GEAR AND CAUSE AN EXCURSION OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. ACCORDING TO AN FAA INSPECTOR, THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD TO ASK FOR HELP MANIPULATING THE YOKE IN PITCH DURING THE TAKEOFF ROTATION. THE INSPECTOR EXAMINED THE FLIGHT CONTROLS FOR INTERFERENCE AND FOUND NONE. HE FOUND FULL FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY AND AUTHORITY FROM STOP TO STOP, AND OBSERVED NO DAMAGE TO OR MALFUNCTION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB MIA02LA069](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA02LA069), Mar 23, 2002: Cessna 182F (N3486U), Pell City, AL, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to properly recover from a bounced landing resulting in exceedance of the design limits and collapse of the nose gear assembly. A factor in the accident was the pilot's decision… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.