Cessna 182 N5020D accident near Chugiak, Alaska

Probable cause

The pilot's mismanagement of the engine controls due to distraction in the traffic pattern, which resulted in a hard landing short of the runway.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, while performing a high-speed taxi to evaluate an erratic airspeed indicator, the airplane began to porpoise, so she performed a takeoff and maneuvered the airplane around the traffic pattern to land. The pilot was distracted by other airplanes in the traffic pattern and did not perform the landing checklist and felt "behind" the airplane. On final approach, she pushed in the throttle control to correct for a rapid descent rate; however, the engine did not respond, and the airplane landed hard in gravel short of the intended runway. The pilot added that, after the impact, she noted that the mixture control was fully out and that she may have pulled out the wrong engine control during the approach. A witness on the ground reported that the airplane descended rapidly in a flat attitude with the propeller rotating slowly. The witness responded to the accident scene and noted that the mixture, throttle, and propeller controls were all pulled out and that the pilot could not explain how that happened, but she did state that she was very distracted while flying in the pattern. The pilot stated that she had not flown for about 8 months and had no intent to fly that day. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC18CA052 for the full record.