- Date
- June 10, 2016, 13:49 local (17:49 UTC)
- Place
- Climax, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N77216Cessna 120
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Wildlife encounter (non-bird)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160610010749A
- Case key
- 93370
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
An evasive maneuver during the landing roll to avoid deer on the runway, which resulted in a runway excursion and a nose over. Contributing to the accident was the lack of an airport perimeter fence.
Findings · 4
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
The pilot reported that following a day visual meteorological condition flight, during the landing roll, two deer jumped onto the runway and he swerved the airplane to the right off of the runway, avoiding both deer. During the runway excursion, the right main landing gear became caught in tall grass and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and both wings. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. During a postaccident interview with the airport manager, he reported that the airport does not a have a perimeter fence.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that following a day visual meteorological condition flight, during the landing roll, two deer jumped onto the runway and he swerved the airplane to the right off of the runway, avoiding both deer. During the runway excursion, the right main landing gear became caught in tall grass and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and both wings. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. During a postaccident interview with the airport manager, he reported that the airport does not a have a perimeter fence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N77216
- Reported as
- Cessna 120 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11678
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 2,156.54
- Engine
- Continental C-85, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 2015
- Departed
- SCR · Siler City, NC
- Destination
- 3A4 · Climax, NC
- Airport
- 3A4 · Southeast Greensboro, runway 17, 3,063 × 30 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- None
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
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 5, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 142 total · 67 in this make and model · 38 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- KBUY, 12 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 24, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.1 MB 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.