Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 182J near St. Paul, MN — 2011-12-26

Final reportCEN12LA113
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Date
2011-12-26
Location
St. Paul, MN, USA
Airport
STP
Aircraft
CESSNA 182J
Registration
N2618F
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's decision to land on a runway with a gusting, quartering tailwind and his inadequate compensation for the wind, which resulted in a hard landing.

NTSB narrative

Although the tower air traffic controller informed the pilot that the wind was from 230 degrees, the pilot elected to land on runway 14 instead of runway 27. He reported that the visual approach was stabilized as he approached the runway landing zone. However, the airplane encountered a gust of wind during the landing flare and landed hard on its nose on the runway centerline about 500 to 1,000 feet from the runway threshold. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the firewall was bent. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure of the airplane. Five minutes after the accident, the reported surface wind was 240 degrees at 19 knots gusting to 26 knots.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen to abort landing due to wind conditions.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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