What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On August 31, 2024, at approximately 1530 local time, a Cessna 182 aircraft, privacy data omitted, registered to and flown by a private pilot received substantial damage following a loss of control during landing at the pilots private airstrip near Coopersville, Michigan. VFR meteorological conditions and light winds prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was being conducted under the provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot received minor injuries.
A witness reported seeing the aircraft flying low to the ground when the engine lost power and dropped from view. The witness then called 911 to report the accident. Ottawa county sheriff’s deputies initiated a search of the area finally finding the aircraft, approximately 3 hours later, pushed back into a cleared area in tall standing corn on the east side of the private grass runway. The pilot was not found on site. Deputies then secured the scene and made proper accident notifications.
On site investigation shows 2 sets of landing gear impact ground scaring right (east) of the runway centerline. The first set starting 200 feet from the south threshold and the second set starting 280 feet and veering to the right. Several corn stalks are cut 4-6 feet from the ground by right wing impact along the east side of the runway. The aircraft was found setting in a purposely cleared area of corn pushed back from view from the runway and facing west. The spinner shows impact crush damage with one propeller blade bet aft, indicative of low or no power at time of impact, both show dirt and grass staining. The cowl shows mainly left side impact damage radiating aft into the boot cowl and firewall area of the fuselage. The left wheel pant is impact damaged. The left wing is extensively damaged outboard of the wing strut attach point. The wing is bent up and the leading edge and tip are crush damaged. There is an amount of corn stalk and husk imbedded in the aft damage area of the left wing. The remainder of the fuselage and empennage appear undamaged. The right wing only shows minor damage at the wing tip with the navigation light housing broken free and hanging by wire. Interior of the aircraft shows the keys missing, all engine controls pushed forward, fuel selector on both, and the manual flap lever deployed to the 2nd notch. A small amount of blood was found on the right sun visor and headliner indicative of an unrestrained occupant during the accident sequence. No documentation could be found in the aircraft. Both fuel tanks had fuel at their respective sumps that was blue in color and smelled of 100LL avfuel. No ELT was located during the investigation.
At the time of the accident deputies made contact with the aircraft privacy data omitted by telephone where he stated he was not the pilot flying the aircraft and refused to give any further information stating he was in grand rapids at the time of the accident.
Several days later, the privacy data omitted was interviewed by telephone where he did admit that he had been flying the aircraft earlier that day, but the accident occurred while he was taxing on the ground, contrary to all evidence. The pilot could also not remember the date of his last flight review or the total number of hours he had accumulated prior to the accident. It was also later found the pilot does not hold a valid medical and no information could be found that he ever received a bfr since receiving his pilot certificate in 2016.
As the FAA filed it
ON AUGUST 31, 2024, AT APPROXIMATELY 1530 LOCAL TIME, A CESSNA 182 AIRCRAFT, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, REGISTERED TO AND FLOWN BY A PRIVATE PILOT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL DURING LANDING AT THE PILOTS PRIVATE AIRSTRIP NEAR COOPERSVILLE, MICHIGAN. VFR METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND LIGHT WINDS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES.
A WITNESS REPORTED SEEING THE AIRCRAFT FLYING LOW TO THE GROUND WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND DROPPED FROM VIEW. THE WITNESS THEN CALLED 911 TO REPORT THE ACCIDENT. OTTAWA COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES INITIATED A SEARCH OF THE AREA FINALLY FINDING THE AIRCRAFT, APPROXIMATELY 3 HOURS LATER, PUSHED BACK INTO A CLEARED AREA IN TALL STANDING CORN ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE PRIVATE GRASS RUNWAY. THE PILOT WAS NOT FOUND ON SITE. DEPUTIES THEN SECURED THE SCENE AND MADE PROPER ACCIDENT NOTIFICATIONS.
ON SITE INVESTIGATION SHOWS 2 SETS OF LANDING GEAR IMPACT GROUND SCARING RIGHT (EAST) OF THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE. THE FIRST SET STARTING 200 FEET FROM THE SOUTH THRESHOLD AND THE SECOND SET STARTING 280 FEET AND VEERING TO THE RIGHT. SEVERAL CORN STALKS ARE CUT 4-6 FEET FROM THE GROUND BY RIGHT WING IMPACT ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND SETTING IN A PURPOSELY CLEARED AREA OF CORN PUSHED BACK FROM VIEW FROM THE RUNWAY AND FACING WEST. THE SPINNER SHOWS IMPACT CRUSH DAMAGE WITH ONE PROPELLER BLADE BET AFT, INDICATIVE OF LOW OR NO POWER AT TIME OF IMPACT, BOTH SHOW DIRT AND GRASS STAINING. THE COWL SHOWS MAINLY LEFT SIDE IMPACT DAMAGE RADIATING AFT INTO THE BOOT COWL AND FIREWALL AREA OF THE FUSELAGE. THE LEFT WHEEL PANT IS IMPACT DAMAGED. THE LEFT WING IS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED OUTBOARD OF THE WING STRUT ATTACH POINT. THE WING IS BENT UP AND THE LEADING EDGE AND TIP ARE CRUSH DAMAGED. THERE IS AN AMOUNT OF CORN STALK AND HUSK IMBEDDED IN THE AFT DAMAGE AREA OF THE LEFT WING. THE REMAINDER OF THE FUSELAGE AND EMPENNAGE APPEAR UNDAMAGED. THE RIGHT WING ONLY SHOWS MINOR DAMAGE AT THE WING TIP WITH THE NAVIGATION LIGHT HOUSING BROKEN FREE AND HANGING BY WIRE. INTERIOR OF THE AIRCRAFT SHOWS THE KEYS MISSING, ALL ENGINE CONTROLS PUSHED FORWARD, FUEL SELECTOR ON BOTH, AND THE MANUAL FLAP LEVER DEPLOYED TO THE 2ND NOTCH. A SMALL AMOUNT OF BLOOD WAS FOUND ON THE RIGHT SUN VISOR AND HEADLINER INDICATIVE OF AN UNRESTRAINED OCCUPANT DURING THE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE. NO DOCUMENTATION COULD BE FOUND IN THE AIRCRAFT. BOTH FUEL TANKS HAD FUEL AT THEIR RESPECTIVE SUMPS THAT WAS BLUE IN COLOR AND SMELLED OF 100LL AVFUEL. NO ELT WAS LOCATED DURING THE INVESTIGATION.
AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT DEPUTIES MADE CONTACT WITH THE AIRCRAFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ BY TELEPHONE WHERE HE STATED HE WAS NOT THE PILOT FLYING THE AIRCRAFT AND REFUSED TO GIVE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION STATING HE WAS IN GRAND RAPIDS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
SEVERAL DAYS LATER, THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS INTERVIEWED BY TELEPHONE WHERE HE DID ADMIT THAT HE HAD BEEN FLYING THE AIRCRAFT EARLIER THAT DAY, BUT THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE HE WAS TAXING ON THE GROUND, CONTRARY TO ALL EVIDENCE. THE PILOT COULD ALSO NOT REMEMBER THE DATE OF HIS LAST FLIGHT REVIEW OR THE TOTAL NUMBER OF HOURS HE HAD ACCUMULATED PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. IT WAS ALSO LATER FOUND THE PILOT DOES NOT HOLD A VALID MEDICAL AND NO INFORMATION COULD BE FOUND THAT HE EVER RECEIVED A BFR SINCE RECEIVING HIS PILOT CERTIFICATE IN 2016.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.