NTSB Factual Report

On May 17, 2003, at 1600 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182R, N9849H, owned and operated by Civil Air Patrol Inc., was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Boulder Municipal Airport (1V5), Boulder, Colorado. The private pilot and his two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for this cross-country flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from Boulder at 1500.

The pilot stated that the winds were "approximately 5 mph out of the east." With full flaps and an airspeed of 70 knots, he set up for an approach to runway 08. As they passed over the threshold, the airplane dropped approximately 25 feet and hit the runway. When the airplane bounced, he applied full power to regain control, landed on the runway and taxied to the parking area. He said he never heard the stall warning horn and didn't feel any change in the wind. The impact with the runway collapsed the nose landing gear, and buckled the firewall. No damage to the propeller was noted.

One witness stated that the airplane appeared to be in a nose high attitude on final approach. At approximately 15 to 20 feet above the runway, the "descent was momentarily halted," after which, the airplane "quickly" descended in a "mush" to the runway. The airplane touched down in a nose high attitude with both main landing gear and then the nose landing gear. The airplane "bounced" back into the air, then landed and taxied to the parking area under its own power.

At 1547, the reported weather at Boulder Municipal Airport was, wind, 130 degrees at 12 knots; visibility, 40 statute miles; sky condition, few at 090, broken at 250 feet; temperature, 28 degrees C.; dew point, 06 degrees C.; altimeter setting, 29.87.

NTSB Probable Cause

the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during landing flare/touchdown which resulted in a hard landing. A contributing factor was the pilot's improper flair.