History of Flight
On February 17, 2011, about 2040 Central Standard Time, a Cessna 182P airplane, registration N325LA, was substantially damaged during a loss of control following a touch-and-go maneuver at Levelland Municipal Airport (LLN), Levelland, Texas. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured, and the two remaining passengers sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The 28 nautical mile cross-country flight originated from Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport (LBB), Lubbock, Texas, at an unknown time.
A surviving passenger stated that the pilot contacted him and asked if he wanted to go on an evening flight. The passenger agreed and, along with the pilot and two other passengers, flew direct from LBB to LLN. The passenger said they took off between 2000 and 2030 and that the flight to LLN took about 15 minutes. Along the route, the pilot informed the passengers about his actions and pointed out ground features. The passenger noted there was a full moon and visibility was good. Approaching LLN, the pilot demonstrated changing runway light intensity using the airplane's radio. The passenger described a straight-in approach to the runway. The accident occurred during the first landing. The passenger reported a rough touchdown, causing him to move side to side. He recalled the pilot apologizing and stating landings were not usually that rough. The passenger said the pilot then yelled “hold on,” but he could not remember anything after that.
A resident living approximately 1,100 feet west of the accident site reported hearing an airplane engine accelerate or decelerate around 2040, followed by a “thud” sound. She went outside to check for a crash but saw nothing unusual. About 30 minutes later, one of the surviving passengers crawled to a neighbor's house for help.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 62, held a private pilot certificate with a single engine land airplane rating. His logbooks indicated approximately 550 hours total flying time and a successful flight review on March 18, 2010. He held a Third Class medical certificate dated January 16, 2011, with the limitation “Must wear corrective lenses. Not valid for any class after 1/31/2012.”
The flight instructor who recommended the pilot for his private pilot checkride in 2007 stated that he and two other instructors had difficulty teaching the pilot. The pilot failed his first checkride due to trouble maintaining directional control during the landing flare, touchdown, and landing roll. The instructor described the pilot as having poor hand-eye coordination, slow reflexes, and an inability to think quickly. Informed that there was a 10 to 11 knot direct crosswind at the airport on the accident night, the instructor said the pilot would have struggled with that. He also noted that the pilot was very familiar with Levelland Airport and that landing there at night would be tricky due to few lights south of the airport, making it easy to lose the horizon and pitch the nose too high.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a 1975 Cessna Aircraft Model 182P Skylane, serial number 18263608, powered by a Teledyne Continental Motors O-470-R-CS engine rated at 230 horsepower at 2,600 rpm. According to logbooks, the airplane underwent an annual inspection on May 7, 2010, with a tachometer reading of 3,839.5 hours. The tachometer at the accident site read 3,971.1 hours.
Meteorological Information
At 2040, the West Texas Mesonet weather observation facility at Levelland, approximately 1.75 miles southeast of the accident site, reported wind from 267 degrees at 10 mph gusting to 11 mph.
Aerodrome Information
Levelland Municipal Airport (ICAO: KLLN) is a public airport located 2 miles south of Levelland, Texas, at 33°33.09′N, 102°22.21′W, elevation 3,514 feet. It has no control tower. The airport has two runways: 17-35 (6,110 feet long, 75 feet wide) with a smooth asphalt surface, nonprecision markings, runway end identifier lights, medium intensity runway lights (preset low, adjustable via radio on 122.8 MHz), and a 4-light PAPI calibrated to a 3-degree glide path; and 8-26 (2,072 feet long, 55 feet wide) with no lights or approach path light systems.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest inverted, 3,045 feet from the approach end of runway 17 and approximately 62 feet east of the runway edge. No postcrash fire occurred. About 2,950 feet from the approach end and 18 feet east of the runway edge, a scrape ran parallel to the runway. Beyond it, three perpendicular slashes (14 inches apart) were followed by a 5-foot-wide, 8-foot-long crater containing broken Plexiglas. Pieces of Plexiglas, fiberglass, white paint chips, and small metal pieces preceded the crater. A spray of dirt fanned out from the crater along a 130-degree heading for about 30 feet.
About 45 feet beyond the crater lay the main wreckage: fuselage, left and right wings, right main landing gear, engine, propeller hub, one propeller blade, and empennage. The engine, cowling, glareshield, instrument panel, and cabin were bent upward and crushed aft. Cabin doors were broken out at the door frames; the windscreen was fragmented. The aft fuselage broke downward and separated at the baggage compartment. The empennage remained attached but showed bends and buckling. The right main landing gear leg, wheel pant, and tire were undamaged; the left main landing gear was broken aft at the fuselage. Flight control continuity from the control yokes to the elevator and from the rudder pedals to the rudder was confirmed.
The left wing was broken at the root and aft at mid-span, just outboard of the flap. The outboard leading edge was crushed aft across the entire span. The left aileron was broken at the control arm and hinges. Flight control continuity to the left aileron was confirmed. The right wing was broken forward at the root; the outer 3 feet of the leading edge was crushed aft and downward. The wingtip was broken aft longitudinally; the right aileron was bent downward. Flight control continuity to the right aileron was confirmed.
The engine was bent upward and broken from the mounts and firewall. The propeller hub and one blade remained attached at the flange. That blade showed torsional s-bending, chordwise scratches, and leading edge nicks. The other blade was broken out of the hub at the seat and retaining rings, located about 240 feet beyond the main wreckage, and also exhibited torsional s-bending, chordwise scratches, and leading edge nicks.
In the immediate vicinity were the left main landing gear, cabin doors, interior pieces, and personal items. The wreckage was retained for further examination.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Lubbock County Medical Examiner on February 18, 2011. Toxicology tests on pilot samples were negative for all substances tested.
Tests and Research
The airplane was examined on February 18 and 19, 2011. The flaps were found in the full up position. The elevator trim tab was set at about 15 degrees nose up. The left main landing gear leg fracture was consistent with an overload failure. Examination of the engine revealed no abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation or production of rated horsepower. Other airplane systems showed no preimpact anomalies. The observed 15-degree nose-up trim setting would be consistent with the pilot raising the flaps immediately after takeoff.