# NTSB CHI00LA016: Cessna 180J, N42536, Pleasant Hills, MO, October 9, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: October 9, 1999, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC) - Place: Pleasant Hills, MO - Coordinates: 38.789546, -94.259025 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.7895&lon=-94.2590&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report January 18, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 47634 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI00LA016 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/47634/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI00LA016 ## Probable cause The pilot's loss of directional control during an aborted takeoff. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, takeoff - aborted - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - ground loop/swerve - encountered, pilot in command - Main gear collapsed, takeoff - aborted ## Analysis During its takeoff roll from a sod runway, the airplane's pilot said a deer was running toward the airplane from its right side. The pilot said she '...throttled back and hit the brakes...[and the airplane] ground looped.' Ground scars on the runway confirmed that the airplane made a left-hand, 180 degree turn that resulted in a collapsed right main landing gear and the outboard half of the right wing was bent upward about 20 degrees. ## Factual narrative On October 9, 1999, at 1730 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna 180J, N42536, piloted by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged during a collision with soft ground and a gravel road following a loss of control during takeoff on runway 18 (2,500' X 75' dry sod) at the Richters Field, Pleasant Hills, Missouri. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight was departing Pleasant Hills, Missouri, at 1645 cdt. The pilot said she had "...just started[her]takeoff roll when[she] caught a glimpse of a deer running toward[the airplane]. It came from the right side... ." She said that she "...reacted out of instinct to try and not hit the deer." The pilot said she "...pulled the throttle back and hit the brakes." She said, "The airplane ground looped." The on-scene investigation was conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration Principal Maintenance Inspector. He reported that N42536 had made a gradual left turn until its right main landing gear tire encountered soft soil next to a gravel road and collapsed. Ground scars made by the right main landing gear tire's side and fuselage showed that N42536 continued its left turn until it was headed about 180 degrees opposite its takeoff direction. The airplane's wreckage was partially on a road that paralleled the runway and was about 10 feet east of the runway. N42536's right main landing gear was collapsed and pushed against its fuselage side. The right wing, from its strut mount outboard to the tip was bent upward about 20 degrees. There were no witnesses to the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N42536](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N42536), registered now, S/N 18052360, built 1973 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 180J - Registry model: [Cessna 180J](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-180j) (registry code 2072622) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18052360 - Airframe hours: 3345 - Engines: Continental O-470 230 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Heritage Travel And Tours, Ltd - Registered owner: Chris Sperry - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 29, 1999, 30 hours before - Departed: 86K - Destination: 86K - Airport: 86K, Richters Field, runway 18, 3,000 × 75 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 51; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 2,584 total, 31 in this make and model, 2,563 as pilot in command ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 180° at 5 knots - Lowest ceiling: none ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19991009044879A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19991009044879A), Oct 9, 1999: Cessna 180J, Pleasant Hill, MO, No damage. (-23) During takeoff, the pilot stated that a deer darted in front of the a/c from right to left, and she was attempting to avoid striking it when the accident… ## Other investigations on N42536 (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB MKC78DER43](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MKC78DER43), May 3, 1978: Cessna 180 (N42536), Eveleth, MN, substantial damage From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.