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GAA15CA094

2015-05-25 · Galion, Ohio, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport GQQ

Current FAA registration · N25AW

Make / Model
CESSNA 182E
Year of manufacture
1961 · 54 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19910308
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A2553A

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed on final approach, which resulted in an in-flight loss of control and hard landing.

Factual narrative

During the final approach, the pilot reported encountering turbulence and wind gusts. As the airplane crossed the runway threshold, the indicated airspeed reduced to 65 miles per hour, the stall warning horn sounded, and the airplane stalled. The pilot pushed the nose forward to regain control, but the airplane impacted the runway hard causing substantial damage to the firewall. After the landing, the pilot was able to taxi to the ramp without further incident. The reported winds at a nearby airport about the time of the accident were from 200 degrees true at 16 knots, gusting to 23 knots. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. During the final approach, the pilot reported encountering turbulence and wind gusts. As the airplane crossed the runway threshold, the indicated airspeed reduced to 65 miles per hour, the stall warning horn sounded, and the airplane stalled. The pilot pushed the nose forward to regain control, but the airplane impacted the runway hard causing substantial damage to the firewall. After the landing, the pilot was able to taxi to the ramp without further incident. The reported winds at a nearby airport about the time of the accident were from 200 degrees true at 16 knots, gusting to 23 knots.    The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_GAA15CA094.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall, loss of control, turbulence). All research papers