- Date
- September 18, 1999, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pepperell, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2001GCessna 182
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 19, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990918046059A
- Case key
- 47424
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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Probable cause
A landing gear bolt failure for undetermined reasons.
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
While landing, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane went off the left side of the runway. Four bolts secured the nose landing gear. Two of them were missing, and rust was evident in the slots where the bolts were originally secured. The pilot was able to recover one of the bolts. Examination of the bolt revealed that shearing was evident, consistent with a secondary failure. One bolt was never recovered. The pilot stated that to his knowledge, the bolts had never been replaced before the accident.
Factual narrative
On September 18, 1999, about 1600 Eastern Daylight Time, a Cessna 182, N2001G, was substantially damaged while landing at Pepperell Airport (26MA), Pepperell, Massachusetts. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local commercial flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot stated that he returned to 26MA after carrying skydivers. He landed on Runway 24, and the nose gear collapsed. The airplane went off the left side of the runway, onto the grass. During the landing, the nose gear, cowling area, and both wings were substantially damaged.
According to the pilot, and a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector, four bolts secured the nose gear assembly. Two of the bolts were missing, and rust was evident in the slots where the bolts were originally secured. The pilot searched the runway area, and found one of the bolts. The bolt was forwarded to the Safety Board Materials Laboratory for further examination. Examination revealed that shearing was evident, consistent with a secondary failure. The other bolt was never recovered.
The pilot stated that he believed a bolt failed, causing a failure of the nose landing gear. He added that the bolts had never been replaced during the 9 years he owned the airplane. He did not know if they had ever been replaced prior to his purchase of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2001G
- Reported as
- Cessna 182
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 51301
- Airframe hours
- 6,500
- Engine
- Continental O-470-L, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Donald V. Mayer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 2, 1999 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- 26MA
- Airport
- 26MA · Pepperell Airport, runway 24, 2,820 × 25 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
- 52
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,502 total · 700 in this make and model · 25 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MHT, 15 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.