- Date
- March 9, 1996, 13:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Avalon, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7583SCessna 182Q
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 19, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960309005849A
- Case key
- 29391
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 flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing. Factors relating to the accident were: a visual illusion due to rising terrain at the approach end of the runway, and the pilot's misjudgment of distance and speed during the approach to land.
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
The pilot reported that this was his first flight to Catalina Island and that he was unfamiliar with the airport. The wind was from 170 degrees at 8 knots, and the pilot elected to land on runway 22. There were steep cliffs on both the approach and departure ends of the runway. The first 2,000 feet of the 3,240-foot-long runway had a pronounced upslope gradient. The pilot said he made three attempts to land, but the aircraft was high and fast each time due to the an optical illusion that was presented by the upsloping terrain at the approach end of the runway. On the third approach, the aircraft touched down hard and bounced back into the air. The pilot said he then released back pressure on the control yoke and the aircraft hit hard on the nose wheel, damaging the propeller and firewall.
Factual narrative
On March 9, 1996, at 1300 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 182Q, N7583S, sustained substantial airframe damage during a hard landing at the Catalina Island Airport, Avalon, California. The aircraft was operated by Vista Aviation of Pacoima, California, and was rented by the pilot for a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The private pilot and his two passengers were not injured. The flight originated at the Whitman Airport, Pacoima, on the day of the accident at 1215 as a personal flight to Catalina Island.
In a telephone interview, the pilot reported that this was his first flight to the island and he was unfamiliar with the airport. The airport sits on a mountain top with steep cliffs on both the approach and departure ends of runway 22. The first 2,000 feet of the 3,240-foot-long runway has a pronounced upslope gradient. The pilot said he made three attempts to land and was high and fast each time due to the optical illusion presented by the upslope runway. On the third approach, the aircraft touched down hard and bounced back into the air. The pilot said he then released back pressure on the control yoke and the aircraft hit hard on the nose wheel, damaging the propeller and firewall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7583S
- Reported as
- Cessna 182Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18265232
- Airframe hours
- 3,467
- Engine
- Continental O-470, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Vista Aviation
- Registered owner
- Edwin M. Rivera
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 24, 1995 · 58 hours before
- Departed
- WHP · Pacoima, CA
- Destination
- AVX
- Airport
- AVX · Catalina, runway 22, 3,240 × 100 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
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 355 total · 8 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 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.