# NTSB SEA99LA156: Cessna 182M, N71685, Sandpoint, ID, September 4, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 4, 1999, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC) - Place: Sandpoint, ID - Location: 48.2310° N, 116.3894° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at BIRD NR 2 (ID19), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=48.2310&lon=-116.3894&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 4 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 2, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 47558 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA99LA156 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/47558/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA99LA156 ## Probable cause The pilot's improper flare. Factors include a runway that sloped uphill, and the pilot's failure to familiarize himself with the destination airstrip prior to departure. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Hard landing, landing - flare/touchdown - flare - improper, pilot in command (cause) - preflight planning/preparation - inadequate, pilot in command (contributing factor) - airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - uphill (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot was flying into a private strip that he had not familiarized himself with. Although he was not aware of it, the runway he was landing on sloped uphill. Because of the upslope, the pilot misjudged his flare and impacted the terrain hard enough to cause substantial damage to the aircraft. ## Factual narrative On September 4, 1999, approximately 1130 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 182M, N71685, was damaged during a hard landing at Bird 2 Airstrip, Sandpoint, Idaho. The commercial pilot and his three passengers were not injured, but the aircraft, which was owned by an acquaintance of the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which departed Felts Field, Spokane, Washington, about 30 minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation. According to the pilot, he was going into a private strip that he had not been to before, and prior to his landing, he was not aware that the runway sloped uphill. Because of the upslope, he misjudged his height above the ground and began his landing flare too late. The delayed flare, along with the upslope of the runway resulted in contact hard enough to damage the propeller, landing gear, and firewall structure. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N71685](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N71685), registered now, S/N 18259718, built 1969 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 182M - Registry model: [Cessna 182M](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182m) (registry code 2072728) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-520-D](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-d) (registry code 17236, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18259718 - Engines: Continental O-470-M 230 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Alan Chertok - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: SFF, SPOKANE, WA - Destination: ID19 - Airport: ID19, Bird 2, runway 31, 1,900 × ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 59; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 790 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 70 °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 19990904047089A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990904047089A), Sep 4, 1999: Cessna 182M, Sandpoint, ID, Substantial damage. (.4)The pilot was flying into a private strip that he had not familiarized himself with. Although he was not aware of it, the runway he was landing on sloped… ## Other investigations on N71685 (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 CHI70DGD16](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI70DGD16), Feb 7, 1970: Cessna 182 (N71685), Old Fort, OH, substantial damage 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.