Cessna 182 accident near Sparta, Michigan, August 12, 2017
On August 12, 2017 at about 2:30 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna 182, registered N52450, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Sparta, Michigan (Paul C Miller-Sparta 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 pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2017 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sparta, Michigan · Paul C Miller-Sparta · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 P, built 1973 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N52450 · registry record · serial 18262617
- 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 airplane landed hard and bounced. He added that he performed a go-around, landed, and taxied to the ramp uneventfully. During a walkaround before another flight that day, he noticed that the airplane had sustained substantial damage to the fuselage during his previous flight. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 318 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 235 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 4, 2015
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,831 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 10, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470-R (piston); 3,831 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8D4 Sparta MI at 2:10 pm
- Destination: 8D4 Sparta MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,032 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; scat at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KGRR, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 13, 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 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page | 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.