Cessna 182 accident near Romeo, Michigan, April 24, 2008
On April 24, 2008 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N5358B, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Romeo, Michigan (Romeo State Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The misjudged landing flare by the pilot, and the inadequate landing gear inspection/repair procedure used by other maintenance personnel, resulting in the failure of the main landing gear strut during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 24, 2008 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Romeo, Michigan · Romeo State Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N5358B · registry record · serial 33358
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane's main landing gear struts were replaced with repaired struts during a maintenance inspection. The FAA Form 337 associated with the repair states that the landing gear was checked for correct contour configuration and strength, and had undergone a magnetic particle inspection, but does not cite the approved data used for the repair. The left landing gear strut separated during a hard landing about 341 hours after it had been installed. The pilot aborted the landing, and flew to another airport where the airplane landed without the left main landing gear. The horizontal stabilizer was damaged during the initial landing attempt when the left landing gear separated, and struck the horizontal stabilizer. Metallurgical examination of the landing gear showed an altered micro structural layer adjacent to the surface, indicative of excessive thermal input such as welding. The strut portion showed that most of the exterior surface contained an intact layer of white paint. In many locations throughout the strut, the paint appeared to have been applied to an irregular or pitted surface.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Failure
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Repair › Maintenance personnel
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Maintenance personnel
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Incorrect service/maintenance
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,899 hours in all; 1,928 in this make and model; 144 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days; 4,879 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 1, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,965 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D98 Romeo MI
- Destination: PVT Ray MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 10:16 pm from PHN, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.