What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On June 3rd, 2025, at 1145 EDT, a Cessna 182 aircraft, registered as privacy data omitted and privacy data omitted, sustained significant damage during a flight in Charlevoix, Michigan. The flight, operated by a private pilot was conducted under the guidelines of title 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91, without a filed flight plan. Fortunately, the pilot was uninjured during the event.
The pilot stated that it was his first time flying in privacy data omitted. He was instructed to do a run up and fly in the pattern. After completing the run up, the plane seemed fine to taxi and take off so he proceeded. The pilot stated that he rotated after 60 mph and the plane began to come off the ground. The takeoff seemed to require more back pressure than he was used to in that type of aircraft. The aircraft was wanting to pitch down so he kept adding trim. At this time the pilot stated he recalls impacting/bouncing twice on the runway, to were he was required to add more trim in order to climb to a level altitude of 1000 feet AGL. The pilot then set up for final what to the pilot felt normal. As the pilot approached the runway for landing, he stated he was pulling back on the yoke to flare and noticed the nose of the aircraft wasn’t pitching up, and even pulling further back resulted in the same nose down attitude. The pilot then stated that’s when the plane landed first on the nose wheel and bounced to a stop disabling the aircraft were he then called in to the airport for help.
privacy data omitted And I arrived on scene at approximately 1400 EDT. We were escorted to the runway by Charlevoix Municipal Airport personnel to see the area of were the accident occurred. There were no well-defined markings, or parts of the aircaft to be found upon inspection. We were then escorted to the plane were the pilot was waiting to give us his statement. After talking to the pilot and taking pictures of the aircraft privacy data omitted and I begin to investigate why the nose of the plane may have not responded to pulling back as stated by the pilot. As we began to pull back full on the yoke, we noticed that the elevator would only transition from full down to level (midway) when engaging forward and reverese. We then were able to access the elevator cables by removing the panel where we found the cables to have a tremendous amount of slack and appeared to be laying on the belly of the fuselage. We asked the pilot if he completed a proper pre flight-noting the engamement of the yoke to full back up right elevator and he stated he remembered going through the motions but could’nt remember seeing it full back and up.
privacy data omitted And I believe that upon take off and the impacts/damage to the nose of the aircraft and where the rigging for the elevator is located that it was damaged upon take off noting the reason of pulling the yoke back with no response to pitch up of the nose of the aircraft upon take off and landing resulting in hard landing.
Pilot was couseled on 07/07/2025.
As the FAA filed it
ON JUNE 3RD, 2025, AT 1145 EDT, A CESSNA 182 AIRCRAFT, REGISTERED AS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE DURING A FLIGHT IN CHARLEVOIX, MICHIGAN. THE FLIGHT, OPERATED BY A PRIVATE PILOT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91, WITHOUT A FILED FLIGHT PLAN. FORTUNATELY, THE PILOT WAS UNINJURED DURING THE EVENT.
THE PILOT STATED THAT IT WAS HIS FIRST TIME FLYING IN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. HE WAS INSTRUCTED TO DO A RUN UP AND FLY IN THE PATTERN. AFTER COMPLETING THE RUN UP, THE PLANE SEEMED FINE TO TAXI AND TAKE OFF SO HE PROCEEDED. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE ROTATED AFTER 60 MPH AND THE PLANE BEGAN TO COME OFF THE GROUND. THE TAKEOFF SEEMED TO REQUIRE MORE BACK PRESSURE THAN HE WAS USED TO IN THAT TYPE OF AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS WANTING TO PITCH DOWN SO HE KEPT ADDING TRIM. AT THIS TIME THE PILOT STATED HE RECALLS IMPACTING/BOUNCING TWICE ON THE RUNWAY, TO WERE HE WAS REQUIRED TO ADD MORE TRIM IN ORDER TO CLIMB TO A LEVEL ALTITUDE OF 1000 FEET AGL. THE PILOT THEN SET UP FOR FINAL WHAT TO THE PILOT FELT NORMAL. AS THE PILOT APPROACHED THE RUNWAY FOR LANDING, HE STATED HE WAS PULLING BACK ON THE YOKE TO FLARE AND NOTICED THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT WASN’T PITCHING UP, AND EVEN PULLING FURTHER BACK RESULTED IN THE SAME NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PILOT THEN STATED THAT’S WHEN THE PLANE LANDED FIRST ON THE NOSE WHEEL AND BOUNCED TO A STOP DISABLING THE AIRCRAFT WERE HE THEN CALLED IN TO THE AIRPORT FOR HELP.
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND I ARRIVED ON SCENE AT APPROXIMATELY 1400 EDT. WE WERE ESCORTED TO THE RUNWAY BY CHARLEVOIX MUNICIPAL AIRPORT PERSONNEL TO SEE THE AREA OF WERE THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THERE WERE NO WELL-DEFINED MARKINGS, OR PARTS OF THE AIRCAFT TO BE FOUND UPON INSPECTION. WE WERE THEN ESCORTED TO THE PLANE WERE THE PILOT WAS WAITING TO GIVE US HIS STATEMENT. AFTER TALKING TO THE PILOT AND TAKING PICTURES OF THE AIRCRAFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND I BEGIN TO INVESTIGATE WHY THE NOSE OF THE PLANE MAY HAVE NOT RESPONDED TO PULLING BACK AS STATED BY THE PILOT. AS WE BEGAN TO PULL BACK FULL ON THE YOKE, WE NOTICED THAT THE ELEVATOR WOULD ONLY TRANSITION FROM FULL DOWN TO LEVEL (MIDWAY) WHEN ENGAGING FORWARD AND REVERESE. WE THEN WERE ABLE TO ACCESS THE ELEVATOR CABLES BY REMOVING THE PANEL WHERE WE FOUND THE CABLES TO HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF SLACK AND APPEARED TO BE LAYING ON THE BELLY OF THE FUSELAGE. WE ASKED THE PILOT IF HE COMPLETED A PROPER PRE FLIGHT-NOTING THE ENGAMEMENT OF THE YOKE TO FULL BACK UP RIGHT ELEVATOR AND HE STATED HE REMEMBERED GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS BUT COULD’NT REMEMBER SEEING IT FULL BACK AND UP.
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND I BELIEVE THAT UPON TAKE OFF AND THE IMPACTS/DAMAGE TO THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT AND WHERE THE RIGGING FOR THE ELEVATOR IS LOCATED THAT IT WAS DAMAGED UPON TAKE OFF NOTING THE REASON OF PULLING THE YOKE BACK WITH NO RESPONSE TO PITCH UP OF THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT UPON TAKE OFF AND LANDING RESULTING IN HARD LANDING.
PILOT WAS COUSELED ON 07/07/2025.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.