- Date
- July 7, 2002, 13:55 local (17:55 UTC)
- Place
- Plainville, CT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3541ACessna 182T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20020707014799A
- Case key
- 55150
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 recovery from a bounced landing.
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.
Analysis
According to the pilot, he completed several touch and go's with "no difficulty," during a "moderate crosswind." During the final landing, the airplane touched down on the runway, then began to porpoise. As the airplane bounced the second time, a gust of wind blew it to the right side of the runway. The airplane continued off the runway and over an embankment, and subsequently nosed over and collided with a fence. There were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On July 7, 2002, at 1355 eastern daylight time, N3541A, a Cessna 182T, was substantially damaged during a landing at Robertson Field (4B8), Plainville, Connecticut. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to practice touch-and-go's on runway 02. The pilot completed four takeoffs and landings with "no difficulty," during a "moderate crosswind." During the final landing, the airplane touched down on the runway, then began to porpoise. As the airplane bounced the second time, a gust of wind blew it to the right side of the runway. The airplane continued off the runway and over an embankment, coming to rest inverted with its vertical stabilizer impacting a fence.
The pilot stated he used a "slip" technique to correct for the crosswind, while maintaining the nose of the airplane on the centerline of the runway.
The pilot reported 82 hours of total flight experience, 30 of which were in make and model. He also reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane. According to the inspector, substantial damage was observed to the left wing, fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. The inspector also reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
The winds reported at Hartford-Brainard Airport (HFD), Hartford, Connecticut, 10 miles to the northeast, at 1353, were from 300 degrees, variable 260 degrees to 340 degrees, at 9 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3541A
- Reported as
- Cessna 182T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18281048
- Airframe hours
- 40.1
- Engine
- Lycoming I0-540-ABIA5, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David Zwiener
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 11, 2001 · 40.1 hours before
- Departed
- 4B8 · Plainville, CT
- Destination
- 4B8 · Plainville, CT
- Airport
- 4B8 · Robertson Field Airport, runway 02, 3,612 × 75 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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- March 30, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 82 total · 30 in this make and model · 13 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- HFD, 10 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 24, 2003, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 532 KB 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.