Cessna 182 accident near Pepperell, Massachusetts, September 18, 1999
On September 18, 1999 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N2001G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pepperell, Massachusetts (Pepperell Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
A landing gear bolt failure for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1999 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pepperell, Massachusetts · Pepperell Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N2001G · no longer on the register · serial 51301
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While landing, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane went off the left side of the runway. Four bolts secured the nose landing gear. Two of them were missing, and rust was evident in the slots where the bolts were originally secured. The pilot was able to recover one of the bolts. Examination of the bolt revealed that shearing was evident, consistent with a secondary failure. One bolt was never recovered. The pilot stated that to his knowledge, the bolts had never been replaced before the accident.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,502 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 1999; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 26MA at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,820 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MHT, 15 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.