N3415R

On July 22, 2006, at 1745 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182L, N3415R, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, collided with trees off the end of runway 34, at the Deerfield Landing Airport, in Eatonton, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from Richland, Virginia, on July 22, 2006, at 1530.

According to the CFI, while approaching Baldwin County, Georgia, from the north, Atlanta Approach Control gave warning that there were indications of heavy rain over Milledgeville, Georgia, their intended destination. The CFI stated that they "were in VFR conditions at the time, and could tell there was a storm in the general direction of the airport." As they got closer to the airport, it was apparent that they would not be able to land. The CFI stated that they cancelled their IFR clearance and diverted to Deerfield Landing Airport, a privately owned airport with a grass strip. The student was flying the airplane and was having trouble descending and flying the pattern. On final, seeing that they were to high, the CFI took over the flying duties, and made a full flap landing. The CFI stated that "they were landing long and would need maximum braking effort, I retracted the flaps. The brakes did not seem to have any effect. Unable to stop before running out of runway, we hit trees at the end of the runway." The CFI further stated, "in the post-accident evaluation, I realized that I should have noticed the tailwind effects while on final. Further, I should have realized that with rain in the area no doubt the grass was wet, and therefore slippery. But the genesis of the problem was that I attempted to land out of a bad pattern. A go-around with a better pattern would have been the correct response to the situation."

Examination of the airplane by an FAA Inspector found the right wing substantially damaged on the leading edge at the attach point of the wing strut, and wrinkling of the empennage forward of the vertical stabilizer. There were no mechanical problems discovered during the post-accident examination of the airplane.