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CEN12CA305

2012-05-16 · Crystal Falls, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 50D

Current FAA registration · N4742E

Make / Model
CESSNA A185F
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19790620
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A5D299

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's abrupt maneuver to avoid deer that unexpectedly ran into the airplane's path during the landing roll.

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. 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. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Response/compensation - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_CEN12CA305.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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