No fatalities

Pilot Reports Hard Landing and Runway Excursion in Single-Engine Airplane

Fallbrook, CA, United States

On January 3, 2010, a CESSNA 182P operated by Michael K. Fuqua was involved in an aviation accident near Fallbrook, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot reported that his landing approach was too high and too fast, and the airplane ballooned during the touchdown, followed by a long touchdown and hard braking that led to a runway excursion and nosedown. 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 pilot reported that his airplane touched down long, ballooned, and overran the runway, nosing over in soft dirt. The nose wheel collapsed and both wings were substantially damaged.

Incident Overview

A pilot reported that during landing, his approach was too high and too fast, causing the airplane to balloon during touchdown. The airplane touched down just past the halfway point on the runway. The pilot applied hard braking, but the airplane skidded off the end of the runway and nosed over in soft dirt.

Damage Assessment

The nose wheel collapsed as a result of the nosedown, and both wings sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures prior to the accident, indicating that the event was related to the landing technique rather than an equipment issue.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that the approach was too high and too fast, and the airplane ballooned during the touchdown. After touching down long, the pilot braked hard, but the airplane continued off the runway. The nosedown occurred in soft dirt off the end of the runway. The pilot did not report any pre-existing mechanical issues with the airplane.

Probable cause

The pilot reported that his landing approach was too high and too fast, and the airplane ballooned during the touchdown, followed by a long touchdown and hard braking that led to a runway excursion and nosedown.

Contributing factors

Descent/approach/glide path — Not attained/maintainedPilot