No fatalities

Hard Landing and Bounce During Law Enforcement Flight Results in Firewall Damage

Conway, AR, United States

On August 1, 2009, a CESSNA 182K operated by DEPARTMENT OF ARKANSAS STATE POLICE was involved in an aviation accident near Conway, AR. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

A public use airplane on a law enforcement surveillance mission performed a hard landing and bounced twice during an intermediate stop. The pilot aborted a go-around due to terrain concerns, and the aircraft came to rest beside the runway with engine firewall damage.

Accident Details

The accident involved a public use airplane conducting a law enforcement surveillance mission. The flight was making an intermediate stop when the landing was attempted on a short field. The pilot employed a short field landing technique.

Landing and Bounce

During touchdown, the airplane landed hard and bounced. The pilot initiated a go-around but, after assessing the remaining runway distance, determined there was insufficient space to clear the terrain off the end of the runway. The pilot therefore aborted the go-around.

Final Outcome

Following the go-around abort, the airplane bounced a second time. After the second bounce, the aircraft came to rest on the side of the runway. Post-accident examination revealed damage to the engine firewall.

Conclusion

No further details were provided in the source.

Contributing factors

Landing flare — Not attained/maintainedPilot