- Date
- May 16, 2012, 17:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Crystal Falls, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4742ECessna A185F
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Abrupt maneuver
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 18, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-GRR-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120516007499A
- Case key
- 83683
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's abrupt maneuver to avoid deer that unexpectedly ran into the airplane's path during the landing roll.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
Two deer ran out of a wooded area and toward the runway from left to right in front of the airplane during the landing roll. The pilot applied left rudder in an attempt to avoid the deer, assuming they were going to continue across the runway. One of the deer continued across the runway. The other deer stopped on the runway and turned around to go back into the woods. The pilot applied right rudder in order to avoid the second deer and the airplane ground-looped. The left wing was substantially damaged when it contacted the ground during the ground loop.
Factual narrative
Two deer ran out of a wooded area and toward the runway from left to right in front of the airplane during the landing roll. The pilot applied left rudder in an attempt to avoid the deer, assuming they were going to continue across the runway. One of the deer continued across the runway. The other deer stopped on the runway and turned around going back into the woods. The pilot applied right rudder in order to avoid the second deer and the airplane ground looped. The left wing was substantially damaged when it contacted the terrain during the ground loop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4742E
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503853
- Airframe hours
- 3,157
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D29B, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Whitehead Dennis C
- Registered owner
- Whitehead Dennis C
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 10, 2011 · 48 hours before
- Departed
- IMT · Iron Mountain, MI
- Destination
- 50D · Crystal Falls, MI
- Airport
- 50D · Iron County Airport, runway 30
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 21, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,309 total · 225 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- IMT, 15 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 5, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 868 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N4742E · 4
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.