Cessna 182K accident near Eldon, Missouri, September 18, 1998
On September 18, 1998 at about 9:55 pm local time, a Cessna 182K, registered N3054Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eldon, Missouri (Eldon Model Airpark 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 pilot's not correcting for a porpoise condition during landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1998 · about 9:55 pm local time
- Place
- Eldon, Missouri · Eldon Model Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182K · all 182Ks on the register
- Registration
- N3054Q · registry record · serial 18258054
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the accident airplane said that he flared high. He said he pulled back on the yoke for the flare and the airplane porpoised. He said that he maintained yoke position through the third bounce and then relaxed the yoke position. The nose gear collapsed and the firewall buckled. The pilot, in his pilot report regarding owner safety recommendations stated: 'more flight time and more frequent trips and landing practice'.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 397 hours in all; 244 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: H79
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,100 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from AIZ, 36 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.