Cessna 182T N635CP accident near Marion, South Carolina

Probable cause

The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

NTSB analysis

As the airplane arrived in the area of the destination airport, where the pilots would commence a Civil Air Patrol, U.S Air Force-assigned mission, the pilot flying (a flight instructor in the left seat) asked the pilot-not-flying (a private pilot in the right seat) if he wanted to practice takeoffs and landings. The flight instructor turned over the controls to the private pilot, and he performed a normal landing. The private pilot then took off to practice a short-field landing. Both pilots reported the airplane touched down "firm" on the main landing gear, and as the airplane decelerated, it felt as if the airplane had a flat tire. Shortly after, the propeller began to strike the runway. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed damage to the nose landing gear attachment assembly and substantial damage to the firewall. During postaccident interviews, neither pilot could recall the airspeed during the approach or the flap configuration. The flight instructor described the landing flare as a "momentary or short flare."

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA12CA553 for the full record.