Cessna 182 N71149

Summary

On 2 June 2025 at about 15:30 local time, a Cessna 182 registered N71149, operated by Skydive Harbor Springs Inc, was involved in an accident near Charlevoix, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 June 2025 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Charlevoix, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Charlevoix Muni (CVX)

Coordinates

45.3053, -85.2691

Aircraft

Cessna 182

Registration

N71149

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Skydive Harbor Springs Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA195

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain pitch control during the takeoff that resulted in multiple bounces and substantial damage to the fuselage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The purpose of the training flight was for the pilot, who was employed by the skydiving operator, to become familiar with the airplane, as he had never flown it before. During the takeoff, a witness observed the airplane bounce multiple times. During the second bounce, the witness heard a loud noise, and during the third and final bounce, the witness heard an even louder noise. The witness surmised that the third bounce was “so violent” that he thought the airplane as going to become inverted. The airplane became airborne and departed, while remaining in the traffic pattern. During the no flap landing, the pilot reported that as he began pulling back on the yoke to flare, he noticed that the nose of the airplane was not pitching up. The airplane landed on the nose landing gear, which sustained a flat tire. The airplane came to rest upright on the right side of the runway and the pilot was able to egress without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage aft of the engine compartment and to the cockpit floor. Postaccident examination of the flight control system found an excessive amount of slack in the elevator control cables due to the fuselage damage sustained from the multiple bounces that occurred during the takeoff. The substantial damage resulted in excessive slack to the elevator control cables that resulted in the pilot not having adequate pitch control during the landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.