NTSB Factual Report

On April 6, 2001, at about 1815 eastern standard time, a Cessna 182Q, N74SM, registered to the Civil Air Patrol Inc., operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 positioning flight collided with the runway on landing at Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport, Lakeland, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the private pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from North Perry Airport, Hollywood, Florida, about 1 hour 55 minutes before the accident.

The pilot stated she made a normal landing and was holding back pressure on the yoke. During the landing rollout she felt a shudder after the nose wheel touched down on the runway. She assumed she had blown a tire. She informed the control tower that she had blown a tire and rolled to a stop on the side of the runway. After exiting the airplane she observed that the nose wheel was flat and both propeller tips were curled aft. The pilot stated during her preflight inspection the nose gear plate would not stay closed, it was difficult to obtain a fuel sample, and the fuel selector identification plate was installed backwards.

Examination of the airplane by the NTSB and the FAA revealed the nose wheel had collided with the runway first on landing. The front of the nose wheel pants was scuffed and scratched, the right front side of the pant was scratched and broken. The nose wheel tire was flat and had a scuff mark running across the width of the tire. The engine cowling was removed and both sides of the engine firewall was bent inward. The left side of the forward fuselage located next to the firewall had a diagonal crease running from the firewall outboard to the lower left wing strut. There was no damage noted to either main landing gear or the bottom of the fuselage.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to flare on landing resulting in a hard landing.