Cessna 182M accident near Laytonsville, Maryland, November 1, 2003
On November 1, 2003 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182M, registered N70800, was substantially damaged in an accident near Laytonsville, Maryland (Laytonsville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's abrupt evasive maneuver to avoid the deer, which resulted in the loss of airspeed and an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 1, 2003 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Laytonsville, Maryland · Laytonsville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182M · all 182Ms on the register
- Registration
- N70800 · registry record · serial 18259367
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on final approach, with landing flaps, at a low altitude, transitioning to land when deer ran in front of the airplane. The pilot reported that he thought the airplane would strike the deer, and abruptly pulled back on the control wheel. He also added power; however, the pitch up preceded the engine responding. The pilot said the stall horn sounded momentarily, and then the airplane descended in a nose down attitude and struck the ground, about 150 feet short of the runway and slid for 100 feet. The nose landing gear collapsed, the lower fuselage was crushed, and the firewall was wrinkled. A witness reported that the final approach course brought the airplane over a corn field, where deer have been seen before. The landing distance chart from the Owner's manual revealed the airplane could have crossed the end of the runway at 50 feet, and still stopped within the remaining runway.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 134 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 6, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,445 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2003; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 40N Coatsville PA at 9:30 pm
- Destination: W50 Laytonsville MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,005 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 10:22 pm from FDK, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC04CA022.