The instructor reported that the pilot was taking off following a night touch and go landing at the airport in Big Rapids, Michigan, when they heard a loud thump and the Cessna 172 yawed strongly to the left.
The instructor took control of the airplane, continued the takeoff, brought it back to the airport, and landed uneventfully.
As the instructor pilot was taxiing the airplane to the ramp, both he and the pilot saw several deer adjacent to the runway.
A post-accident examination revealed the airplane sustained substantial damage to the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator and aft fuselage.
The following morning a 100-pound deer was found dead about 80 yards south of the departure runway.
The pilot reported there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The damage the airplane sustained was consistent with a deer strike.
Probable Cause: The airplane’s impact with a deer during takeoff.
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This September 2020 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.
