Event LAX05CA081

Factual narrative

On January 30, 2005, about 1540 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 182P, N9003M, landed hard at Reno/Tahoe International Airport, Reno, Nevada. Comstock Aviation, Inc., was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and three passengers were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal cross-country flight departed Minden-Tahoe Airport, Minden, Nevada, about 1430, with the planned destination of Reno. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. In a telephone interview with a National Transportation Safety Board investigator, the pilot reported flying in the traffic pattern for runway 16L at Reno. Established in the base leg portion of the traffic pattern, the pilot stated that the airplane's indicated airspeed was about 85 knots and the flaps were positioned at 20 degrees. After turning onto the final approach segment, the pilot slowed the airplane to 80 knots, and configured the airplane with 40 degrees of flaps. The pilot did not recall the indication of the precision approach path indicator lights (PAPI) during the approach but opined that the glidepath was normal. Crossing the runway threshold at 70 knots, the pilot reduced power and initiated the transition from approach to a landing attitude. He said that the airplane stalled above the runway and touched down hard on the main landing gear. The airplane began to porpoise and bounced twice before settling into the landing rollout. The pilot reported that after exiting the airplane, he noted that the propeller had struck the runway during landing, and the landing nose gear tire was flat. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane after the accident. The inspector noted that the damage to the airplane included a collapsed nose landing gear strut and deformation to the firewall. The airplane landed hard and porpoised, resulting in a collapse of the nose gear strut and deformation to the firewall. After turning onto the final approach segment, the pilot slowed the airplane to 80 knots and configured the airplane with 40 degrees of flaps. Crossing the runway threshold at 70 knots, the pilot reduced power and initiated the transition from approach to a landing attitude. The airplane stalled above the runway and touched down hard on the main landing gear. The airplane began to porpoise and bounced twice before settling into the landing rollout. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12