Cessna R182 accident near Puyallup, Washington, July 30, 2002
On July 30, 2002 at about 2:10 am local time, a Cessna R182, registered N7592Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Puyallup, Washington (Pierce County - Thun Field). 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
Restricted movement of the left main landing gear resulting in the gear not extending for the landing. A misaligned brake line was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2002 · about 2:10 am local time · cases in 2002
- Place
- Puyallup, Washington · Pierce County - Thun Field · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R182 · all R182s on the register
- Registration
- N7592Y · registry record · serial R18200411
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In a written statement, the first pilot reported that he was unable to acquire a down and locked status for the left main while attempting to lower the landing gear. The gear down indicator light (green) illuminated, however, a visual check of the landing gear revealed that the left main was not in the down and locked position. Multiple attempts by the pilots to lower the left main gear proved unsuccessful. Subsequent to the unsuccessful attempts to lower the gear, the pilot elected to land the airplane with the gear retracted. Postaccident examination of the landing gear system revealed that the left main wheel brake line caught on the wheel well structure during the extension cycle of the landing gear. The brake line rotated from its normal position, allowing it to catch on the airframe and restrict the movement of the left main landing gear.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 929 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 89 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 746 as pilot in command; 601 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 14, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 23 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,537 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 28, 2002; 2.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1S0 Puyallup WA at 11:20 pm
- Destination: 1S0
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 3,650 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from KTCM, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N7592Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7592Y on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna R182 Skylane RG 706 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-540 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Washington 2,713 since 1982 · 362 in the last ten years
- Washington 10,644 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N7592Y 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA02LA139.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.