- Date
- August 17, 2020, 09:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Savannah, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N21488Cessna 182
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Not reported
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 101888
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 inadequate flare, resulting 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
The pilot was flying the airplane on a multi-leg cross-country flight, and during a preflight inspection prior to one of the legs the pilot observed wrinkled skin on the right-side fuselage near the engine firewall. A local mechanic believed it to be minor damage and the pilot continued to his destination. Upon arrival, another mechanic noted that the damage appeared to be more serious and a ferry permit was requested. The damage was determined to be substantial and the ferry permit was denied by local Federal Aviation Administration personnel. Although the pilot stated that the damage appeared to be from a landing with the nose gear touching down first, he did not recall any unusual or hard landings during the previous cross-country flight legs. He also stated that he was the only pilot to recently fly the airplane and the damage most likely occurred during his control. The damage likely occurred during a hard landing; however, the time and location of the accident could not be determined based on the available information. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies during the cross-country flights.
Factual narrative
The pilot was flying the airplane on a multi-leg cross-country flight, and during a preflight inspection prior to one of the legs the pilot observed wrinkled skin on the right-side fuselage near the engine firewall. A local mechanic believed it to be minor damage and the pilot continued to his destination. Upon arrival, another mechanic noted that the damage appeared to be more serious and a ferry permit was requested. The damage was determined to be substantial and the ferry permit was denied by local Federal Aviation Administration personnel. Although the pilot stated that the damage appeared to be from a landing with the nose gear touching down first, he did not recall any unusual or hard landings during the previous cross-country flight legs. He also stated that he was the only pilot to recently fly the airplane and the damage most likely occurred during his control.The damage likely occurred during a hard landing; however, the time and location of the accident could not be determined based on the available information. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies during the cross-country flights.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21488
- Reported as
- Cessna 182 (P)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18261664
- Built
- 1973
- Engine
- Continental IO-550-D-AP, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- F3EA Inc.
- Registered owner
- Clik Services Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 9, 2020 · 182 hours before
- Departed
- MLU · Monroe, LA
- Destination
- SAV · Savannah, GA
- Airport
- SAV · Savannah Hilton Head Intl, runway 01, 7,002 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 5,124 total · 36 in this make and model · 3,525 as pilot in command · 84 in the last 90 days · 67 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Not reported
- Wind
- 70° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KSAV
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 17, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.9 MB in all.