NTSB Factual Report

On February 4, 2006, about 1230 mountain standard time, the nose landing gear of a Cessna 182, N5421B, broke off while landing near Black Canyon, Arizona. A private individual was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured; the airplane was destroyed. The cross-country personal flight departed Cottonwood, Arizona, about 1200, with a planned destination of an unidentified dirt strip near Black Canyon. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The approximate global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the primary wreckage were 34 degrees 9 minutes north latitude and 111 degrees 43 minutes west longitude.

The pilot stated that he overflew the dirt strip two times to check the windsock. The winds were noted as light and variable. He then crossed over the airstrip at midfield and made a standard left traffic. The airstrip sits on a mesa with a 100-foot drop-off on the approach end. When he reached the threshold of the runway, he encountered a severe downdraft. He was 20 to 30 feet off the ground at the time. The aircraft hit the ground and the nose wheel landed in a large pothole, which tore it off. The airplane slid down the runway about 100 feet before coming to stop. The pilot saw a small fire coming through the passenger floorboard. He turned off the fuel and grabbed the fire extinguisher and they evacuated the airplane out of the passenger door. He attempted to extinguish the fire, ran out of fluid in the fire extinguisher, and decided to get out of the way in case of a possible explosion. There was no explosion and the airplane became engulfed in flames.

NTSB Probable Cause

the pilot's encounter with downdraft at low altitude on short final approach to land.