# NTSB LAX05CA081: Cessna 182P, N9003M, Reno, NV, January 30, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: January 30, 2005, 15:40 local (23:40 UTC) - Place: Reno, NV - Coordinates: 39.482498, -119.768058 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.4825&lon=-119.7681&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 4 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 28, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 60954 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX05CA081 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/60954/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05CA081 ## Probable cause the pilot's misjudged flare, which resulted in a stall and a hard landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Hard landing, landing - flare/touchdown - flare - misjudged, pilot in command (cause) - airspeed(vref) - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - stall/mush - inadvertent, pilot in command (cause) - porpoise/pilot-induced oscillation - encountered, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis The airplane landed hard and porpoised, resulting in a collapse of the nose gear strut and deformation to the firewall. After turning onto the final approach segment, the pilot slowed the airplane to 80 knots and configured the airplane with 40 degrees of flaps. Crossing the runway threshold at 70 knots, the pilot reduced power and initiated the transition from approach to a landing attitude. The airplane stalled above the runway and touched down hard on the main landing gear. The airplane began to porpoise and bounced twice before settling into the landing rollout. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures. ## Factual narrative On January 30, 2005, about 1540 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 182P, N9003M, landed hard at Reno/Tahoe International Airport, Reno, Nevada. Comstock Aviation, Inc., was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and three passengers were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal cross-country flight departed Minden-Tahoe Airport, Minden, Nevada, about 1430, with the planned destination of Reno. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. In a telephone interview with a National Transportation Safety Board investigator, the pilot reported flying in the traffic pattern for runway 16L at Reno. Established in the base leg portion of the traffic pattern, the pilot stated that the airplane's indicated airspeed was about 85 knots and the flaps were positioned at 20 degrees. After turning onto the final approach segment, the pilot slowed the airplane to 80 knots, and configured the airplane with 40 degrees of flaps. The pilot did not recall the indication of the precision approach path indicator lights (PAPI) during the approach but opined that the glidepath was normal. Crossing the runway threshold at 70 knots, the pilot reduced power and initiated the transition from approach to a landing attitude. He said that the airplane stalled above the runway and touched down hard on the main landing gear. The airplane began to porpoise and bounced twice before settling into the landing rollout. The pilot reported that after exiting the airplane, he noted that the propeller had struck the runway during landing, and the landing nose gear tire was flat. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane after the accident. The inspector noted that the damage to the airplane included a collapsed nose landing gear strut and deformation to the firewall. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N9003M](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9003M-2024-10-25), registration cancelled 2024-10-25, S/N 18264638, built 1976 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 182P - Registry model: [Cessna 182P](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182p) (registry code 2075816) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18264638 - Engines: Continental O-470 Series reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Comstock Aviation Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: MEV, Minden, NV - Destination: RNO, Reno, NV - Airport: RNO, Reno/Tahoe Intl. Airport, runway 16L, 9,000 × 150 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 42; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3; flight hours: 104 total, 19 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 39 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20050130001729A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050130001729A), Jan 30, 2005: Cessna 182P, Reno, NV, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot [privacy data omitted] lost control of aircraft during landing which resulted in a hard landing of the aircraft. ## Other investigations on N9003M (2) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB GAA19CA086](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA19CA086), Dec 3, 2018: Cessna 182 (N9003M), Reno, NV, substantial damage. Probable cause: The airplane’s collision with a bird during a practice instrument approach. - [NTSB LAX97LA080](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA080), Dec 31, 1996: Cessna 182P (N9003M), Fullerton, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: Fuel system water contamination due to the failure of both pilots to purge all water from the fuel system prior to departure. Contributing factors were: failure of the mechanic conducting the recent… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.