Cessna 182S accident near Staatsburg, New York, October 16, 1999
On October 16, 1999 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182S, registered N783WW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Staatsburg, New York (Airhaven 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
was the pilot's encounter with an unseen embankment while maneuvering to avoid a deer on the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 16, 1999 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Staatsburg, New York · Airhaven Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182S · all 182Ss on the register
- Registration
- N783WW · registry record · serial 18280351
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot performed a landing to the sod runway. He said he used back pressure on the control yoke during the rollout to keep the nose wheel off the runway. According to the pilot, he applied the brakes, lowered the nose, '...and lo and behold, there was a deer! I applied left brake to avoid the deer and went down an embankment I was unaware of.' The airplane departed the left side of the runway, struck brush, and sustained damage to the left wing, the left main landing gear, and the propeller.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 379 hours in all; 143 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 279 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 166 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 3, 1999; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,110 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-AB1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DXR Danbury CT at 4:15 pm
- Destination: 09N
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 1,700 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from POU, 13 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.
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.