Cessna 182A accident near Buffalo, Oklahoma, June 17, 2017
On June 17, 2017 at about 2:45 pm local time, a 1957 Cessna 182A, registered N6196B, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Buffalo, Oklahoma (Mike'S Place 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 separation of the nose wheel axle bolt and the nose wheel during the landing roll for reasons that could not be determined because the bolt was not recovered.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 2017 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Buffalo, Oklahoma · Mike'S Place · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A, built 1957 · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N6196B · no longer on the register · serial 34196
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot stated that the airplane touched down about halfway down the turf runway and that the landing was normal until the nosewheel touched down, when he heard a loud noise from the nose landing gear area. The airplane nosed over on the runway and came to rest inverted. Markings in the turf showed 3 tire tracks consistent with all three landing gear. The center tire mark transitioned into two parallel tracks consistent with the nose gear fork dragging through the grass. About 20 ft later, there was a single track in the runway with about six perpendicular propeller slash marks through the track, consistent with the nose gear strut collapsing and the rotating propeller striking the ground as the airplane continued forward. The nose wheel axle tube was found near the end of the slash marks. The single track continued to the main wreckage. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the nose wheel had separated from the nose gear fork, and the fork separated from the strut. A grease seal ring from the nose wheel assembly and a portion of the nose wheel axle tube were found in the debris path. The nose wheel axle bolt was not recovered. The available evidence is consistent with the nose wheel axle bolt separating from the wheel, which resulted in separation of the nosewheel. The nose wheel axle bolt was not found during the investigation; therefore, the reason for its separation could not be determined.
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
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
- Part(s) separation from AC during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail gear strut/axle › Malfunction
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Co-pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 642 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 620 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 19, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 319 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 167 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 6, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,827.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 8, 2017; 17.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,348 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors O-470-L (piston); 6,827 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AVK Alva OK at 2:15 pm
- Destination: 96OK Buffalo OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,000 ft by 35 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 pm from KWWR, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on February 6, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Correspondence - Owner Email | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Correspondence - FAA Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Systems - Nose Gear Service Manual Excerpts | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photos | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.