Cessna 180 accident near Jonesboro, Georgia, April 17, 1993
On April 17, 1993 at about 4:33 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2738K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jonesboro, Georgia (South Expressway airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's abrupt and excessive swerve to avoid a deer on the runway. A factor was the strong crosswind that precluded the pilot's directional control recovery.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 1993 · about 4:33 pm local time
- Place
- Jonesboro, Georgia · South Expressway · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N2738K · no longer on the register · serial 1853052
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS LANDING THE AIRPLANE IN A STRONG LEFT CROSSWIND. AS THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN, A DEER DARTED ACROSS THE RUNWAY, FROM THE RIGHT. HE SWERVED ABRUPTLY TO THE RIGHT TO AVOID THE DEER, AND WAS UNABLE TO RECOVER DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. THE LEFT WING DRAGGED THE GROUND AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER WHEN IT ROLLED INTO A SHALLOW, WIDE DITCH.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 2,200 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 4,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,296 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 1992; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Mcdonough GA at 4:20 pm
- Destination: 9A7
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 2,980 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from ATL, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N2738K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.