# NTSB LAX06CA010: Cessna 182B, N2728B, Mokelumne Hill, CA, October 15, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: October 15, 2005, 16:00 local (23:00 UTC) - Place: Mokelumne Hill, CA - Coordinates: 38.316665, -120.699996 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.3167&lon=-120.7000&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 28, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 62683 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX06CA010 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/62683/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX06CA010 ## Probable cause the pilot's improper flare resulting in a hard landing. A related factor was gusty wind conditions. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Hard landing, landing - flare/touchdown - weather condition - gusts - flare - improper, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis The airframe was damaged during a hard landing at a private airstrip. The pilot said the grass airstrip was orientated along a 330-degree path with a stand of trees on the southern end, the tallest of which was about 80 feet. The pilot observed the wind to be from 300 degrees at 8 knots with gusts to 15 knots. He approached the grass strip from the south and established the airplane on final approach at 65 mph and a vertical descent rate of 200 to 300 feet per minute (fpm). On short final, the pilot established the airplane at 60 mph (about 10 mph above stall speed) with 40 degrees of flaps extended. As the airplane passed the stand of trees it dropped 10 to 12 feet and landed hard about 90 feet short of the pilot's intended touchdown point. After engine shutdown, the pilot noticed the control column was jammed to the far aft position and locked against the rear of the instrument panel. Post-event examination of the airplane revealed the firewall was displaced aft about 3 inches. ## Factual narrative On October 15, 2005, at 1600 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 182B airplane, N2728B, made a hard landing at a private grass airstrip near Mokelumne Hill, California. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. The local area flight departed from Martel, California, which is located about 8 nautical miles west of the private airstrip, around 1555. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed. According to the pilot's written statement (provided as part of the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report; NTSB Form 6120.1/2), the grass airstrip was orientated along a 330-degree path with a stand of trees oriented on the southern end, the tallest of which was about 80 feet. The pilot observed the wind to be from 300 degrees at 8 knots with gusts to 15 knots. He approached the grass strip from the south and established the airplane on final approach at 65 mph and a vertical descent rate of 200 to 300 feet per minute (fpm). On short final, the pilot established the airplane at 60 mph (about 10 mph above stall speed) with 40 degrees of flaps extended. As the airplane passed the stand of trees, it dropped 10 to 12 feet and landed hard about 90 feet short of the pilot's intended touchdown point. After engine shutdown, the pilot noticed the control column was jammed to the far aft position and locked against the rear of the instrument panel. Post-event examination of the airplane revealed the firewall was displaced aft about 3 inches. Under the section titled "Recommendation (How Could This Accident Have Been Prevented)" in the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the pilot indicated he could have flown his approach at a slightly higher airspeed to compensate for the gusty wind conditions. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2728B](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2728B), registered now, S/N 52028, built 1959 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 182B - Registry model: [Cessna 182B](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182b) (registry code 2072706) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 52028 - Airframe hours: 2352.6 - Engines: Teledyne Continental O-470-R(25) 230 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: William Nelson - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, April 1, 2005, 75.9 hours before - Departed: O70, Martel, CA - Destination: Mokelumne Hill, CA - Airport: NONE, Private, runway 33, 900 × 80 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 64; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review April 1, 2005; seat: left; flight hours: 2,900 total, 1,000 in this make and model, 35 in the last 90 days, 12 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 300° at 8 knots, gusting 15 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 79 °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 20051015033059A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20051015033059A), Oct 15, 2005: Cessna 182B, Mokelumne Hill, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) The airframe (firewall) was damaged during a hard landing on a Private grass airstrip. The runway is 900 feet long and 80 feet wide with 80 foot trees on… ## Other investigations on N2728B (1) 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 ANC24LA084](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC24LA084), Aug 28, 2024: Cessna 182B (N2728B), Hawi, HI, substantial damage. Probable cause: The airplane’s loss of engine power due to carburetor ice that formed during a long descent, contributing to the outcome is the pilot’s delayed use of carburetor heat. 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.