DEN03TA082

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 182R · Boulder, CO · May 17, 2003

Accident · No injuriesFinal report
Date
May 17, 2003, 16:00 local (22:00 UTC)
Place
Boulder, CO
Injuries
3 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N9849HCessna 182R
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report November 25, 2003
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
FAA FSDO
FAA report
20030517010569A
Case key
57064

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during landing flare/touchdown which resulted in a hard landing. A contributing factor was the pilot's improper flair.

Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

Loss of control - in flightLanding - flare/touchdown
Aircraft control - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Flare - improperPilot in commandFactor
Hard landingLanding - flare/touchdown
Recovery from bounced landing - performedPilot in command
Terrain condition - runway

Analysis

The pilot stated that the winds were "approximately 5 mph out of the east." With full flaps and an airspeed of 70 knots, he set up for an approach to runway 08. As they passed over the threshold, the airplane dropped approximately 25 feet and hit the runway. When the airplane bounced, he applied full power to regain control, landed on the runway and taxied to the parking area. He said he never heard the stall warning horn and didn't feel any change in the wind. The impact with the runway collapsed the nose landing gear, and buckled the firewall.

Factual narrative

On May 17, 2003, at 1600 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182R, N9849H, owned and operated by Civil Air Patrol Inc., was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Boulder Municipal Airport (1V5), Boulder, Colorado. The private pilot and his two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for this cross-country flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from Boulder at 1500.

The pilot stated that the winds were "approximately 5 mph out of the east." With full flaps and an airspeed of 70 knots, he set up for an approach to runway 08. As they passed over the threshold, the airplane dropped approximately 25 feet and hit the runway. When the airplane bounced, he applied full power to regain control, landed on the runway and taxied to the parking area. He said he never heard the stall warning horn and didn't feel any change in the wind. The impact with the runway collapsed the nose landing gear, and buckled the firewall. No damage to the propeller was noted.

One witness stated that the airplane appeared to be in a nose high attitude on final approach. At approximately 15 to 20 feet above the runway, the "descent was momentarily halted," after which, the airplane "quickly" descended in a "mush" to the runway. The airplane touched down in a nose high attitude with both main landing gear and then the nose landing gear. The airplane "bounced" back into the air, then landed and taxied to the parking area under its own power.

At 1547, the reported weather at Boulder Municipal Airport was, wind, 130 degrees at 12 knots; visibility, 40 statute miles; sky condition, few at 090, broken at 250 feet; temperature, 28 degrees C.; dew point, 06 degrees C.; altimeter setting, 29.87.

Aircraft

Registration
N9849H
Reported as
Cessna 182R
Category
Airplane
Serial number
18268068
Airframe hours
4,615.7
Engine
Continental 0470017B, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Other work use · Part 91
Registered owner
Civil Air Patrol Inc.
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · April 23, 2003 · 16 hours before
Departed
1V5 · Boulder, CO
Destination
1V5 · Boulder, CO
Flight plan
Military VFR
Airport
1V5 · Boulder Municipal, runway 08, 4,100 × 25 ft, asphalt

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
52
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Last flight review
November 3, 2001
Seat
Left
Flight hours
851 total · 22 in this make and model · 843 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
130° at 12 knots
Visibility
40 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
250 ft broken
Temperature
82 °F, dew point 43 °F
Altimeter
29.87 inHg
Observed at
BJC

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.