Cessna 182Q accident near Bad Axe, Michigan, June 28, 1996
On June 28, 1996, a Cessna 182Q, registered N4855N, was destroyed in an accident near Bad Axe, Michigan (Huron County Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a deer that ran onto the runway. The light condition at dusk was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 1996
- Place
- Bad Axe, Michigan · Huron County Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N4855N · no longer on the register · serial 18267421
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a landing flare at dusk, the passenger informed the pilot that there was a deer off the right side of the runway. The pilot attempted to go-around; however, the deer contacted the tail of the airplane, jamming the elevator control surface. The airplane climbed to an altitude of 20 to 25 feet, then entered a nose down descent to the runway. The nose of the airplane contacted the runway first, and the airplane slid off the side of the runway and nosed over.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,850 hours in all; 145 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,688 as pilot in command; 568 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,243 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 6, 1995; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Y83 Sandusky MI
- Destination: 76D
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.