Event DEN04LA018

Factual narrative

On October 31, 2003, at approximately 1600 mountain standard time, a Cessna 182A, N5127D, was destroyed following a hard landing and postimpact fire at Double Eagle II Airport (AEG), Albuquerque, New Mexico. The commercial certificated instructor and student pilot receiving instruction were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The local instructional flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan had been filed for the flight that originated approximately 1500. According the report submitted by the flight instructor, they had been practicing soft and short field landings on runway 17. There was no traffic at the airport so they switched to runway 22 for a better crosswind component. At midfield on the right downwind, at an altitude of 6,800 feet msl, the instructor pulled the throttle to idle and applied carburetor heat to simulate an engine failure. The student established an airspeed of 75 mph and turned towards the runway. Approximately 100 feet agl, the airplane encountered "a heavy sink rate." The instructor stated that the stall horn did not sound and the bank angle was shallow. The student added power "rapidly"; however, the engine did not respond. The airplane struck the runway on the main gear. It bounced and struck the runway again, separating the nose gear. The airplane continued forward with its nose skidding on the runway. A postimpact fire ensued, consuming the fuselage. According to the METAR (aviation routine weather report) taken at 1610, winds, 170 degrees at 15 knots, gusting 22 knots; visibility, 8 statute miles; sky condition, scattered 9,000 feet agl; temperature, 62 degrees Fahrenheit (F); dew point, 32 degrees F; altimeter setting, 30.02 inches. According to the carburetor icing probability chart, the temperature and dew point were right on the edge of serious icing conditions at glide power. An examination of the engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded it from developing power. An examination of the airplane's systems revealed no anomalies. In the pattern for runway 22, the instructor pulled the throttle to idle and applied the carburetor heat to simulate an engine failure. The student established an airspeed of 75 mph and turned towards the runway. Approximately 100 feet agl, the airplane encountered "a heavy sink rate." The instructor stated that the stall horn did not sound and the bank angle was shallow. The student added power "rapidly"; however, the engine did not respond. The airplane struck the runway on the main gear. It bounced and struck the runway again, separating the nose gear, sending the airplane skidding on its nose. A postimpact fire ensued, consuming the fuselage.Temperature was 62 degrees Fahrenheit (F) and dew point was 32 degrees F. According to the carburetor icing probability chart, the temperature and dew point were right on the edge of serious icing conditions at glide power. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12