IAD02LA011

The airplane was landing after a cross country flight. Upon landing, the main wheels touched down, followed by the nose wheel. The airplane "porpoised" three times, the nose wheel hub broke, and the prop struck the runway. Examination of the fracture surfaces on the wheel and wheel fragments revealed that all fractures were due to overstress. The pilot did not report any mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident.

On October 20, 2001, at 1530 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182, N7399S, was substantially damaged during a hard landing on runway 35, at York Airport (THV), York, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot and the student pilot-rated passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that originated at Latrobe, Pennsylvania, at 1430. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

During a telephone interview, the pilot was asked how the airplane landed, and in what order the landing gear touched down on the runway. According to the pilot:

"We touched down on the mains first. The main wheels came down, the nose wheel came down, the airplane porpoised, and the prop struck the runway. It looked like the tire was shredded and like a piece of the hub had broken through."

The pilot stated that he searched the runway immediately after the accident and found no evidence of debris or foreign objects on or adjacent to the landing surface.

In addition, the passenger of the accident airplane was interviewed. He stated that it was a "perfect" day, and that they were flying for about 5 hours. The landing was a "3-point", and he noted that the pilot flared at 60 miles per hour. They porpoised 3 times, and the wheel hub broke.

During a telephone interview, an airframe and powerplant mechanic, who recovered the airplane from the runway, described the damage to the airplane. He stated:

"The front hub was shattered, the firewall was buckled, and there was a wrinkle in the belly. The propeller tips were curled back and the engine mounts were bent. The standby compass that was attached to the top of the windshield was knocked loose from its mount and hung by a wire."

The nose tire, wheel, and wheel fragments were recovered and forwarded to the Safety Board's Materials Laboratory in Washington, D.C. The wheel and wheel fragments were examined in the laboratory on November 30, 2001.

Examination of the fracture surfaces on the wheel and wheel fragments revealed that all fractures were due to overstress. The examination revealed no evidence of fatigue, corrosion, or pre-existing damage.

The pilot reported 325 hours of flight experience, 33 hours of which were in make and model.

The weather reported at the York Airport, at 1453, included clear skies with winds from 220 degrees at 6 knots.