ERA19TA185

The pilot was landing the airplane on the 2,400-ft-long turf runway, which had tall trees on the approach end. During the landing flare, the airplane floated before touching down at least 600 ft down the runway. The airplane settled onto the runway, but the grass was wet, and the pilot was unable to stop the airplane. The airplane struck a ditch on the departure end of the runway, which resulted in damage to the empennage, horizontal stabilizer, engine mount, and firewall. Recorded weather information indicated calm winds. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.

On June 4, 2019, about 0800 central daylight time, a Cessna 182P, N7317Q, was substantially damaged while landing at Elsanor Airport (1AL4), Robertsdale, Alabama. The private pilot and passenger incurred minor injuries. The airplane was owned by Big Sky Flight LLC, and was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight that departed Bob Sikes Airport (CEW), Crestview, Florida about, 0715. The private pilot reported that during arrival into 1AL4, he approached runway 27, a grass field about 2,400 ft long with tall trees on the approach end. During final approach, the flaps were fully extended over the tree line and then the airplane floated before touching down about one-quarter of the way down the runway. He retracted the flaps and held up elevator, but the grass was wet and the airplane would not stop. The pilot added left rudder to turn the airplane to keep it from travelling across a road. The airplane then struck a ditch on the departure end of the runway before coming to rest upright. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. After the pilot reviewed GPS tracklog data for the flight following the accident, he realized that the airplane may have floated past the first quarter of the runway before touching down. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed damage to the empennage, horizontal stabilizer, engine mount, and firewall. There were multiple buckles in the airframe from the engine and down the length of the fuselage. The nose gear was sheared off. The recorded weather at CQF, located about 17 nautical miles west of the airport, at 0755, included calm winds, visibility 10 miles and a clear sky, temperature 28° C, dewpoint 25° C, and an altimeter setting of 30.02 inches of mercury.