N42631

On August 16, 1998, approximately 1600 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182L, N42631, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during landing at St. George Municipal Airport, St. George, Utah. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at La Verne, California, approximately 1230 Pacific daylight time.

The pilot said he "crabbed" into the wind as he approached runway 16 (6,101 feet x 100 feet, asphalt) for landing. He removed the crab angle with opposite rudder just before touching down. The airplane touched down "softly," then lifted off. The pilot pushed the control yoke forward and the airplane settled back to the runway. When he flared the second time, the airplane landed "firmly." The pilot said the nose "came up fast," causing the stall warning horn to sound. The airplane touched down again "very hard." The airplane was "bucking or bouncing" and veered off the left side of the runway, collapsing the nose landing gear. The pilot theorized that "a gust of wind caused the nose to come up fast, then slammed down hard causing nose gear to collapse." He made no mention of wind gusts in the weather section of his report. The pilot also theorized that the second touch down was "too heavy on the nose gear," causing the shock absorber to compress and allow the propeller to strike the ground. A witness said the airplane's approach speed appeared to be "hot," and the airplane bounced three times.

Postaccident inspection by FBO maintenance personnel, and confirmed by an insurance adjuster, disclosed the nose landing gear had punctured a hole in the firewall. The bottom of the fuselage was also buckled.