Cessna 182A accident near New Philadelphia, Ohio, February 18, 2012
On February 18, 2012 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N20DE, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near New Philadelphia, Ohio (Harry Clever Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate maintenance of the wheel attachment bolts, which resulted in the left wheel separating from the landing gear during landing due to ductile overstress fractures.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 18, 2012 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- New Philadelphia, Ohio · Harry Clever Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N20DE · registry record · serial 51334
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the landing was normal, but, during the landing roll as the airplane was turning onto the taxiway, the left wheel separated from the landing gear. The left wing sustained substantial damage when it struck the ground. The examination of the airplane revealed that the four bolts that attached the wheel to the landing gear were broken. The metallurgical examination of the four bolts revealed that the fractures were consistent with ductile overstress. The pilot reported that the airplane was converted to a tailwheel airplane per a supplemental type certificate, that it was equipped with tundra tires, and that it was routinely landed on sandbars, strip mines, and fields. The pilot reported that installing new bolts could have prevented the accident from occurring.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Aircraft structural failure during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear attach sec › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Misc hardware › Fasteners › Not serviced/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear attach sec › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Replacement › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 40,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 4, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,348 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 31, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 3,348 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I40 Coshocton OH at 3:45 pm
- Destination: PHD New Philadelphia OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,951 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from PHD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.