Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's inadequate flare, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor related to the accident was the downdraft wind conditions.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On November 30, 2000, about 0830 Eastern Standard Time, a Cessna 182J, N182RM, was substantially damaged while landing at the College Park Airport, College Park, Maryland. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR part 91.
According to the pilot, he was landing on Runway 33, a 2,607-foot long, 60-foot wide, asphalt runway. "About 3/4 below the tree tops," at a speed of 80 knots, a downdraft was encountered, causing a loss of altitude and airspeed. The airplane touched down hard on the runway, and the nose wheel buckled. The airplane slid off of the side of the runway, and came to rest in a grass field.
The winds reported at a nearby airport, at 0851, were from 300 degrees at 11 knots, gusts to 20 knots.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# NYC01LA049