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GAA19CA489

2019-08-10 · Two Harbors, Minnesota, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport TWM

Current FAA registration · N76LG

Make / Model
CESSNA 180J
Year of manufacture
1976 · 43 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20021022
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AA4030

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's abrupt maneuver to try and avoid a deer during landing on a grass strip runway, which resulted in a ground loop.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, during the landing roll on a grass strip runway, a deer ran across the runway. She "felt [the deer] was too close [to the airplane] to initiate a go-around "so she applied the brakes hard, and the airplane skidded right and ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, during the landing roll on a grass strip runway, a deer ran across the runway. She "felt [the deer] was too close [to the airplane] to initiate a go-around," so she applied the brakes hard, and the airplane skidded right and ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 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)-Effect on operation - C
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Ability to respond/compensate - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-(general)-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2019_GAA19CA489.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (go-around). All research papers