| Crash location | 39.927223°N, 74.292222°W |
| Nearest city | Toms River, NJ
39.953729°N, 74.197919°W 5.3 miles away |
| Tail number | N6362T |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 31 Oct 2006 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 182RG |
| Additional details: | None |
On October 31, 2006, at 1315 eastern standard time, a Cessna 182RG, N6362T, was substantially damaged while landing at the Robert J. Miller Air Park (MJX), Toms River, New Jersey. The certificated flight instructor and certificated private pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the private pilot, the purpose of the flight was to prepare him for his commercial pilot checkride. The private pilot first conducted a short field takeoff without incident, and during the climbout, "minor" turbulence was encountered, along with "some fluctuation in airspeed." The flight instructor then requested that the private pilot perform a short field landing. The private pilot turned onto the final approach leg and picked an aiming point "just prior" to the beginning of the runway to begin his flare. Everything appeared normal on the approach until the pilots felt the airplane suddenly sink, then impact the ground before reaching the runway.
The private pilot also reported that the sink occurred so close to the ground, that "a recovery technique could not be applied." He further noted that a postflight examination of the airplane revealed that the hydraulic strut of the nose landing gear was flat.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane contacted the ground about 10 feet prior to the threshold of runway 24, then struck the "lip" of the runway, bounced, and impacted the runway "hard" on its landing gear. The inspector noted substantial damage to the airplane's firewall.
Neither the pilots nor the FAA inspector reported any mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident.
Winds, reported at an airport 14 miles to the west, were from 240 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 20 knots.
The private pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point, and the flight instructor's inadequate remedial action, which resulted in a landing short of the runway. A contributing factor was the gusty wind conditions.