Cessna R182 accident near Bullhead City, Arizona, February 3, 2006
On February 3, 2006 at about 11:37 pm local time, a Cessna R182, registered N88AA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bullhead City, Arizona (Laughlin/Bullhead Internationa 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
overload of the nose landing gear actuator attach bracket resulting in collapse of the nose gear while taxiing. It is undetermined when and under what circumstances the overload occurred.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 3, 2006 · about 11:37 pm local time
- Place
- Bullhead City, Arizona · Laughlin/Bullhead Internationa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R182 · all R182s on the register
- Registration
- N88AA · no longer on the register · serial R18200483
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged when the nose wheel collapsed while turning off the runway after landing. The pilot stated that that he verified that the green light was illuminated on the gear indicator, showing that all three landing gear were down and locked, then he made a normal landing. The pilot was taxiing off the runway after landing when the nose gear collapsed. The pilot further stated that he performed a normal touchdown and did not hit the runway excessively hard. An inspection by an Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Safety Inspector revealed that the nose gear collapsed as a result of sheared rivets that attach the bracket assembly for the nose gear hydraulic actuator. Smearing on the rivet shanks indicated a loading directionality from aft to forward, which is the direction of normal retraction for the nose gear. No other damage was noted to the firewall or other airframe structures consistent with a hard landing. The inspector opined that the evidence was not conclusive that the sheared rivets occurred on the accident landing, and may in fact represent damage resulting from prior ground handling (towing) operations.
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: 80 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 22 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,594 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2005; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sawyer Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: SDL Scottsdale AZ at 11:00 pm
- Destination: IFP Bullhead City AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 7,520 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N88AA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.