N2602F

On July 19, 2004, at 1455 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182J, N2602F, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Four Corners Regional Airport (FMN), Farmington, New Mexico. The private pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The flight originated at 1300.

According to the pilot, when he returned to FMN, he completed one full-stop landing, one touch-and-go landing, and was attempting a second full-stop landing on runway 25. The pilot stated that during the approach, he heard the tower report to other aircraft that the winds were 240 degrees at 14 knots, gusting to 21 knots. The pilot stated that during the flare, a gust of wind struck the airplane. The airplane climbed 10 to 15 feet and then dropped to the runway. After the airplane struck the runway, the pilot kept it on centerline, completed the roll-out, and brought the airplane to a stop on the taxiway. The impact with the runway collapsed the nose landing gear and buckled the firewall.

At 1453, the recorded wind conditions at Farmington were, 280 degrees at 8 knots. At 1502, the winds were 240 degrees at 14 knots, gusting to 21 knots.