Manzanita, OR, USA
N4076D
Cessna 182A
The pilot noted his airspeed fluctuated on final approach from 80 MPH down to 65 to 70 MPH. 400 feet from the end of the runway. Thinking he had the runway made, the pilot reduced the engine power to idle, but a second later he sensed the airplane sinking and veering to the left. Realizing he would not be able to make the runway due to the wind-shear condition, the pilot added full power, but subsequently impacted a driftwood stump and a guy wire and nosing over before coming to rest inverted approximately 150 feet west of the runway's approach end.
On March 13, 2005, approximately 1310 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 182A single-engine airplane, N4076D, sustained substantial damage after colliding with the ground short of the runway while attempting a landing at the Nehalem Bay State Airport (3S7), located 2 miles south of Manzanita, Oregon. The airplane was operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the personal cross-country flight. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured, while a second passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight departed Grove Field, Camas, Washington, about 1213, and its destination was 3S7. In a written statement the pilot reported that prior to his landing approach [to Runway 33] he flew over the airport to check the wind, which was out of the northeast. The pilot stated that on final approach "...the airspeed seemed to fluctuate quite a bit. My approach speed at this point was indicating 80 miles per hour (MPH), but would fluctuate down to about 65 to 70 MPH." The pilot reported that he added power to steady his airspeed and decrease his rate of descent, and at about 400 feet from the end of the runway he "backed [the] power back to glide," as he felt he had the runway made; one second later he determined that he was sinking at an alarming rate and veering to the left. The pilot stated, "Realizing at that point that I was not going to make the runway I advanced full throttle in an attempt to try to gain enough speed to counteract the 'obvious wind shear,' which now appeared to be a tailwind, but there was not enough time." The airplane impacted a driftwood stump about 150 feet from the end of the runway, followed by a guy wire. The aircraft nosed over 100 feet west of the runway and came to rest in an inverted position. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. Substantial damage was observed to the airplane's wings, empennage, and firewall. The left main and nose landing gears were separated from the aircraft, and both propeller blades were bent back approximately 90 degrees. The mid-section of the fuselage aft of the cabin bulkhead and the undercarriage beneath the cabin and cockpit were bent and wrinkled. At 1310, the Automatic Weather Observation System (AWOS) at the Newport Municipal Airport, Newport, Oregon, located approximately 73 nautical miles south of 3S7, reported wind 340 degrees at 12 knots with gusts to 16 knots.
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind, which resulted in an inflight loss of control, a subsequent uncontrolled descent into the tree stump and guy wire, and the resultant nose over. A factor contributing to the accident was the downdraft.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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