Cessna R182 accident near Bedford, Massachusetts, January 21, 2006
On January 21, 2006 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna R182, registered N6278T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bedford, Massachusetts (Bedford 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 flare resulting in a hard landing. A factor in the accident was the wind gusts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 2006 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bedford, Massachusetts · Bedford · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R182 · all R182s on the register
- Registration
- N6278T · no longer on the register · serial R18201960
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After landing on runway 29, the airplane became airborne again during the landing roll. It then started to porpoise and the nose gear contacted the runway hard. The pilot aborted the landing, performed another approach to the runway, and landed without further incident. Post flight inspection of the airplane revealed damage that included firewall buckling in several places. Winds reported at the airport about the time of the accident, were from 240 degrees at 19 knots, gusting to 26 knots.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 667 hours in all; 154 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 544 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,365 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 1, 2005; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Civil Air Patrol, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: CEF Chicopee MA at 7:10 pm
- Destination: BED Bedford MA
- Runway 29, 7,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 19 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.72 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from BED
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N6278T 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.