Cessna 180F accident near Douglas, Wyoming, September 11, 1998
On September 11, 1998 at about 11:58 am local time, a Cessna 180F, registered N4612U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Douglas, Wyoming (Converse County 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
A collision with a deer during take-off.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 1998 · about 11:58 am local time
- Place
- Douglas, Wyoming · Converse County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180F · all 180Fs on the register
- Registration
- N4612U · registry record · serial 18051312
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was taking off from Converse County Airport's runway 28 (6,750 feet x 100 feet, asphalt) in the predawn darkness, en route to Casper, Wyoming, about 47 miles to the west. As the airplane lifted off the runway, a small deer (weighing an estimated 75 pounds) struck the rear of the airplane. Because the airplane remained under control at all times, the pilot elected to continue to Casper, where he landed without incident. Examination of the airplane disclosed the leading edge of the left horizontal stabilizer was crushed inward and bent.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,558 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 11,582 as pilot in command; 1,062 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,668 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 16, 1997; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DGW at 11:58 am
- Destination: CPR Casper WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 6,750 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from DGW
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.
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.