NTSB WPR24LA152 — 2024-05-10 · Three Forks, Montana, United States

Current FAA registration · N2388X

Make / Model: CESSNA 182H
Year of manufacture: 1965 · 59 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19650426
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A229BE

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N2388X Cessna 182H None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in an attempted departure with the flight control lock device installed, and subsequent nose landing gear collapse.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that shortly after liftoff, the airplane pitched down unexpectedly and bounced on the runway. The pilot realized the control lock device was still installed but was unable to remove it before the aircraft impacted the runway firmly enough to collapse the nose gear. The pilot reported that due to the installation of new avionics, he modified the original flight control lock device, and it no longer covered the ignition switch. During the preflight inspection, he failed to remove the modified flight control lock. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage and left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot
— Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Flight control system-Gust lock or damper-Incorrect use/operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2024_WPR24LA152.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). All research papers