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ERA12CA322

2012-05-06 · Newport, Vermont, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport EFK

Current FAA registration · N9217G

Make / Model
CESSNA 182N
Year of manufacture
1971 · 41 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19710825
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ACC535

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and hard landing.

Factual narrative

According to a written statement by the pilot, about 10 feet above the ground, the airplane "dropped hard" onto the runway. An eyewitness stated that the wings shook from side to side, the airplane fell about 10 feet, and the sound of runway impact could be heard. According to marks on the runway, the airplane impacted nose first, bounced, and impacted the runway again. The propeller strike marks associated with the first impact indicated a ground speed of about 38 knots. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the engine firewall. The pilot reported no preimpact malfunctions or anomalies prior to the accident. According to the pilot, the airplane was about 10 feet above the ground during the approach to landing when it "dropped hard" onto the runway. An eyewitness stated that the wings shook from side to side, the airplane fell to the ground, and the sound of runway impact could be heard. According to marks on the runway, the airplane impacted nose first and then bounced and impacted the runway again. Calculations based on the propeller strike marks associated with the first impact indicated a ground speed of about 38 knots. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the engine firewall. The pilot reported no preimpact malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_ERA12CA322.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers