The pilot reported that, during the landing roll at the airport in Flippin, Arkansas, three deer ran from right to left across the runway. He felt a hard strike on the inboard section of the Piper PA32R’s right wing, saw a deer roll over the right wing, and felt a sensation of the right landing gear “hopped” as it ran over a second deer.
The pilot was able to maintain control of the airplane and taxied to the ramp without further incident.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot and passenger had to get out of the airplane through the rear baggage door due to damage to the cabin door.
After getting out of the plane, the pilot noticed copious amounts of fuel pouring from the damaged wing.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The pilot added that this was the second deer strike the airplane experienced in the previous three weeks, and airport management was aware of the situation.
The FAA Chart Supplement, South Central U.S. page for the accident airport, in part, stated: “Wildlife on and [in vicinity of] airport.”
Probable Cause: The airplane’s collision with deer during the landing and the airport’s failure to provide an adequate barrier to prevent wildlife from entering the runway environment despite previous deer strikes.
This June 2019 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
You’d think that deer would learned after the first time. 😉
Yeah there’s not much you can do when a deer appears out of nowhere in front of your airplane on takeoff or landing. We can point fingers at the pilot but this is no different than it running in front of your car except that in a plane you’re even less maneuverable.
Having an airstrip on my property I have learned to do a downwind pass at about 25 feet and then pull up to a “procedure turn” like pattern to land(I am flying an RV6a). No close calls yet but I have seen deer grazing on the runway and a low pass seems to run them off at least until I can land. And if nothing else, it’s a lot of fun “buzzing” the field before landing. I realize I cannot do this at a busy airport, but at night if I am flying into a non-towered field with an empty pattern I repeat this. Seems to work quite well
Arkansas’s deer population is about 1million deer. North central Arkansas, Flippin area, is a deer Mecca. I am based at an airport near Flippin. There is a 6 ft. fence around the airport. The woods are about 75 feet from the runway. A running deer can cover about 40 feet per second and can easily jump over a fence. At my base airport, when a deer runs out of the woods to the runway, I have 2 seconds to see the deer, assess the situation and take evasive action. Not going to happen. In reality, I’ll see the deer then I’ll hit the deer. Several years ago, just as I was rotating, a running deer came out of woods. I never saw it nor did the person in the right seat. My grandson, who was in the back seat looking out the side window, said the deer crossed directly behind the plane. A person down range watching my take off thought I had hit the deer. Automotive deer strikes in this area are a common occurrence.
Agree with You, Mr. Scott. A pilot must focus a great deal of attention of the conditions and surroundings of the airport, either before the start running and during all the fases of that running.
Agree with You, Mr. Scott. A pilot must pay full attention to the airport conditions and environment, either before the start running and the running itself.
No, it was the pilot’s failure.
I’d love to read your justification for this statement Scott.
We tried to control the pheasant population in Wenatchee, Washington back in the late ’70s by letting pilots hunt the areas between the runways. The pilots knew their potential impact on aircraft and acted responsibly. I had a great time there on a trip over from Seattle (BFI) with 3 other instructors on a beautiful day fall day. We also used to hunt pheasants on smaller local airports such as Texoma, Oklahoma and it helped prevent some strikes.
However, present rules prevent that from happening today so animal and bird strikes are going to happen. I’m looking forward to you explaining how it is the drivers’ or pilots’ failure when an animal strike occurs at the speeds we operate today.
Looks to me as if Scott and Jose have zero experience in aviation. In over 2900 hours and 49+ years flying, I haven’t had any deer cross the runway while I was taking off or landing, but in some areas of the country, it’s always a concern, because there’s just about nothing that can be done to avoid the animal during some of the phases of landing or taking off.
And you would be mistaken about my experience.
Known problem area so overfly the area to check situation and land short depending .I usually buzz cattle and horses because they tend to be stationary and will just stare at you, land opposite end and short.
Deer or pheasant threat…don’t land.
Cows and horses are just a little bit slower then a deer. It can be very challenging for a cow to clear a fence, even a 2 foot one.
So you get to your destination and you see the deer and pheasants are having a convention on the runway, you devert and fly 45 minutes to your alternate and they are having a convention there too, now what????