Primary finding
Probable cause
Airspeed was not maintained.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot reported that when the airplane was approx 20 ft agl, over the runway, the airplane suddenly developed a high sink rate. The airplane landed flat and hard on all three landing gear. The airplane was then flown back to its home base where the damage to the structure was noted.
Source record
Factual narrative
On October 15, 1993, at 1408 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182R, N6503E, landed hard at the Tooele, Utah, airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the certificated airline transport pilot and certificated flight instructor were not injured. The flight had departed from Salt Lake City, Utah, for the instructional flight. In a written statement, the pilot reported that when the airplane was approximately 20 feet above ground level, over the runway, the airplane suddenly developed a high sink rate. The airplane landed flat and hard on all three landing gear. The airplane was then flown back to Salt Lake City, where it was discovered that the airplane was structurally damaged. -