- Date
- October 24, 1997, 13:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hamburg, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N759TACessna 182Q
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 30, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19971024031029A
- Case key
- 29986
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, which resulted in a hard landing and overload failure of the nose gear. High terrain (obstruction) near the approach end of the runway was a related factor.
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 during an approach to land, he did not recognize his excessive rate of descent until it was too late to avoid a hard landing. During the touchdown phase, the nose gear collapsed and separated. The aircraft slid until the spinner dug into the runway, and the aircraft nosed over. The pilot stated that he had previously made about 10 approaches to this runway in a Cessna 172; however, this was his first approach in a Cessna 182. Also, he said he was tired and may not have noticed the differences in approach performance between this aircraft and the one he had typically use. High terrain at the approach end of the runway required that the final approach be entered from a close-in left base.
Factual narrative
On October 24, 1997, at 1300 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 182Q, N759TA, made a hard landing at an unnamed private dirt airstrip near Hamburg, California, and nosed over following collapse of the nose gear strut. The aircraft sustained substantial damage; however, neither the pilot nor his two passengers were injured. The aircraft was being operated as a personal flight by the Sundance Flying Club when the accident occurred. The flight originated in Willows, California, at 1100. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot said that he did not realize how rapidly the aircraft was descending until it was nearing touchdown. He added power but it was too late for him to prevent a hard landing. The aircraft bounced once on touchdown, then during rollout, the nose wheel separated and the oleo strut collapsed. The aircraft slid down the runway on the bottom of the engine cowling until the spinner dug into runway and the aircraft nosed over onto its back.
The pilot stated that he had previously made about 10 approaches to this strip before the accident in a Cessna 172; however, this was his first approach in a Cessna 182.
He indicated that he was somewhat fatigued and may not have been alert to the differences in the aircraft's approach performance.
High terrain at the approach end of the strip requires that the traffic pattern be entered from a close-in left base.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N759TA
- Reported as
- Cessna 182Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18266236
- Airframe hours
- 5,018
- Engine
- Continental O-470-U, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles Cali, doing business as Sundance Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Leonard Katzman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1997 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- WLW · Willows-Glenn, CA
- Airport
- Private Airstrip, runway 6, 2,000 × 35 ft, dirt
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 413 total · 22 in this make and model · 220 as pilot in command · 43 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MFR, 42 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.