Summary
On July 27, 2016, a Cessna 150 (N18228) was involved in an accident near Williamsburg, VA. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: An evasive maneuver during the landing flare to avoid deer on the runway, which resulted in a collision with trees and terrain during a go-around. Contributing to the accident was the lack of an airport perimeter fence.
The solo student pilot reported that during a day visual meteorological condition flight, in the landing flare he saw a deer where he intended to touch down. He further reported that he banked to the right and applied power to go-around, but during the turn to the right he was unable to clear a line of trees in his flight path. The student pilot reported that the landing gear "scraped" one line of trees, and in order to avoid a thicker line of trees ahead, he forced the airplane down into a marsh area.
The fuselage and both wings sustained substantial damage.
The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
This accident is documented in NTSB report GAA16CA396. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N18228.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
An evasive maneuver during the landing flare to avoid deer on the runway, which resulted in a collision with trees and terrain during a go-around. Contributing to the accident was the lack of an airport perimeter fence.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The solo student pilot reported that during a day visual meteorological condition flight, in the landing flare he saw a deer where he intended to touch down. He further reported that he banked to the right and applied power to go-around, but during the turn to the right he was unable to clear a line of trees in his flight path. The student pilot reported that the landing gear "scraped" one line of trees, and in order to avoid a thicker line of trees ahead, he forced the airplane down into a marsh area.
The fuselage and both wings sustained substantial damage.
The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
During a postaccident interview with an airport representative, he reported that the airport does not a have a perimeter fence.
The Federal Aviation Administration Chart Supplement airport page for the accident airport in part states: "Deer and birds on and invof [in the vicinity of] arpt."
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA16CA396