Cessna 182P N4660K accident near Santa Maria, California

Probable cause

The pilot's impairment from alcohol and his improper flare, which resulted in a bounced landing. Contributing to the accident was the FAA's failure to obtain additional information about the pilot's alcohol use history to verify that he met the requirements and standards for medical certification.

NTSB analysis

After returning from a 55-minute local area flight, the airplane touched down on the main landing gear and bounced repeatedly until the nose landing gear collapsed. Results of breath alcohol testing performed after the accident suggested that the pilot’s blood alcohol content was likely near 0.30 percent at the time of takeoff. A review of the pilot's medical records maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated that the pilot had admitted to a prior DUI with driver's license suspension that occurred on August 21, 2006, and that the FAA had taken no action in response to the reported DUI. The pilot did not provide, and the FAA did not request, the arrest report from that DUI. That report, obtained by the NTSB, indicated a blood alcohol content of 0.10 and the possession of cocaine at the time of the 2006 arrest. Inspection of the airplane found that the engine firewall was wrinkled and the fuselage structure around the nose landing gear was damaged.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for LAX08LA140 for the full record.