IAD05LA111

Factual narrative

On July 20, 2005, at 1315 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182T, N1328N, was substantially damaged while landing at Chatham Municipal Airport (CQX), Chatham, Massachusetts. The certificated private pilot/owner and a passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight that originated at the Nantucket Airport (ACK), around 1250. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot provided a written statement, and was interviewed by telephone. He said the purpose of the flight was to return to Chatham Airport where the airplane was based. The en route portion of the flight was uneventful, and as he approached the destination airport, he configured the airplane for landing on runway 06. The approach speed was 74 knots, and full flaps were deployed prior to landing. The airplane over flew trees at the approach end of the runway, and just below the treetops, it "encountered some kind of downdraft." The airplane landed hard, bounced, and "porpoised" as it continued down the runway. The propeller struck the pavement during the landing. The airport manager witnessed the accident while standing about 500 feet from the approach end of the runway. He provided a written statement, and was interviewed by telephone. He said that the airplane landed hard, bounced, pitched nose down, and landed hard again, the last time on the nose wheel. The airplane "porpoised" down the runway four to five times, and struck the propeller on the runway during the fourth bounce. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. He was issued a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) third class medical certificate on August 27, 2004. The pilot reported 855 hours of flight experience, 42 hours of which were in make and model. When asked about the performance and handling of the airplane, the pilot/owner said, "The airplane was fine." He added that the airplane was purchased new, and had 42 total hours of flight time. At 1252, the weather reported at the airport included clear skies and variable winds at 5 knots. The temperature was 88 degrees Fahrenheit and the dew point was 64 degrees Fahrenheit. The density altitude was computed at 2,201 feet. From 1152 to 1552, the reported winds were variable, at 3 to 5 knots. The airplane overflew trees at the approach end of the runway before it landed hard, bounced, and "porpoised" as it continued down the runway. The propeller struck the pavement during the fourth bounce. The pilot reported that there were no deficiencies with the performance and handling of the airplane. The winds at the time of the accident were variable at 3 to 5 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12