Cessna R182 accident near Sanford, Florida, October 17, 2015
On October 17, 2015 at about 3:15 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna R182, registered N381MB, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Sanford, Florida (Orlando Sanford Intl airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A collapse of the nose landing gear due to a separation of the drag attachment fitting from the airframe. The separation was likely due to preexisting damage from an undetermined event.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2015 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Sanford, Florida · Orlando Sanford Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R182 NO SERIES, built 1978 · all R182s on the register
- Registration
- N381MB · registry record · serial R18200385
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot and his instructor were performing practice takeoffs and landings. Following an uneventful short field takeoff and landing, the pilot set up for a short field touch-and-go landing. After a "normal" touchdown and before the application of full power, the instructor noted a "shudder" and "nose wheel shimmy," and the nose landing gear collapsed. The propeller struck the paved surface of the runway and the airplane came to a stop. Postaccident examination of the nose gear revealed that its actuator remained secured to the drag attachment fitting and that the nose landing gear was in the "down and locked" position. The drag attachment fitting was separated from the airframe. Subsequent examination revealed that the rivets that secured the drag attachment fitting to the airframe were sheared in overload. The shear loads were in the forward direction, which was inconsistent with the loads typically encountered during landing, suggesting that the damage predated the accident flight. The operator was not aware of any recent damage to the airplane; however, it had been recently rented for an extended period of time.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during prior to flight
- Landing gear collapse during takeoff defining event
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Damaged/degraded
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,813 hours in all; 358 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 6,538 as pilot in command; 6,350 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 25, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 270 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 221 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,328 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 25, 2015; 86 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 6,526 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFB Sanford FL at 3:00 pm
- Destination: SFB Sanford FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09L, 11,002 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from SFB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on April 10, 2017. 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 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot and Flight Instructor Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Correspondence - Owner of Wreckage | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Memorandum for Record - Noles | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Memorandum for Record - Hall | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Photo Array (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 5 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.