N3710DCessna 182A · 1957

On February 20, 2009, approximately 1100 eastern standard time, a Cessna 182A single-engine airplane, N3710D, sustained substantial damage during landing at Kelleys Island Land Field Airport, Kelleys Island, Ohio. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The flight departed Port Clinton, Ohio, at 1045.

The pilot executed a normal approach to runway 27 (2,270 feet by 35 feet, asphalt) in gusty wind conditions. During the landing flare, the airplane encountered a wind gust from the left, the airplane veered to the right, and the right wing tip struck the runway. While airborne, the pilot increased the engine throttle in an attempt to recover; however, the airplane then veered to the left. Subsequently, the airplane's nose landing gear impacted terrain adjacent to the runway and collapsed. The airplane skidded across the runway and came to rest upright. The pilot reported the wind was from 290 degrees at 15 to 20 knots, and gusting 25 to 30 knots.

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed the firewall was buckled, and the aileron control system had "slack" in the cables. The inspector reported that "not much pressure was required to move the ailerons to neutral while holding the control yoke." The inspector stated that the cable slack was not caused by damage during the accident sequence. Examination of the aileron control cables could not determine the reason for the lack of tension in the system.

The airplane underwent its most recent annual inspection on October 20, 2008. Between the time of the annual inspection and the accident, no additional maintenance to the aileron control system was noted in the maintenance records. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated approximately 4 hours since the annual inspection.