- Date
- September 7, 2012, 08:10 local (12:10 UTC)
- Place
- Marion, SC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N635CPCessna 182T
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 27, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO, Civil Air Patrol
- FAA report
- 20120907019879A
- Case key
- 84981
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
As the airplane arrived in the area of the destination airport, where the pilots would commence a Civil Air Patrol, U.S Air Force-assigned mission, the pilot flying (a flight instructor in the left seat) asked the pilot-not-flying (a private pilot in the right seat) if he wanted to practice takeoffs and landings. The flight instructor turned over the controls to the private pilot, and he performed a normal landing. The private pilot then took off to practice a short-field landing. Both pilots reported the airplane touched down "firm" on the main landing gear, and as the airplane decelerated, it felt as if the airplane had a flat tire. Shortly after, the propeller began to strike the runway. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed damage to the nose landing gear attachment assembly and substantial damage to the firewall. During postaccident interviews, neither pilot could recall the airspeed during the approach or the flap configuration. The flight instructor described the landing flare as a "momentary or short flare."
Factual narrative
The purpose of the flight was to fly the airplane to the destination airport, where the pilots would commence a Civil Air Patrol, U.S Air Force assigned mission. As the pilots arrived in the area of the destination airport the pilot flying (a certified flight instructor in the left seat) asked the pilot-not-flying (a private pilot in the right seat) if he wanted to practice takeoffs-and-landings. The flight instructor turned over the controls to the private pilot, and he performed a normal landing. The private pilot then set up for a short-field landing. Both pilots reported the airplane touched down "firm" on the main landing gear and as the airplane decelerated it felt as if the airplane had a flat tire. Shortly after, the propeller began to strike the runway. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed damage to the nose landing gear attachment assembly and substantial damage to the firewall. During postaccident interviews, neither pilot could recall the airspeed during the approach, or the flap configuration. The flight instructor described the landing flare as a "momentary or short flare."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N635CP
- Reported as
- Cessna 182T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18281530
- Airframe hours
- 1,565
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540 SER, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Civil Air Patrol
- Registered owner
- Civil Air Patrol
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2012
- Departed
- CAE · Columbia, SC
- Destination
- MAO · Marion, SC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MAO · Marion County Airport, runway 22, 4,503 × 100 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 31, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,710 total · 304 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 27, 2011
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 953 total · 200 in this make and model · 920 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- MAO
Docket · 13
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 18, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 27.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.