Summary
On October 19, 2010, a Piper PA28 (N9247V) was involved in an incident near Titusville, FL. All 3 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: An inadvertent collision with a deer during a night takeoff.
According to the flight instructor, the flight departed for a night cross-country to the destination airport with a student pilot in the left seat and a student pilot in the rear seat. After completing a full stop landing at the destination airport, they taxied back to the runway to complete additional pattern work. As the student pilot began to rotate the airplane during takeoff roll, the flight instructor "saw an animal directly in front of the airplane on the centerline" and grabbed the flight controls in an effort to "miss the animal." He heard a "bang" as the airplane passed over what was later identified as a deer. The flight instructor stated that he then noticed the left rudder pedal was "looser" than normal and no brake pressure was observed in the left toe brake.
This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA11CA027. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N9247V.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
An inadvertent collision with a deer during a night takeoff.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
According to the flight instructor, the flight departed for a night cross-country to the destination airport with a student pilot in the left seat and a student pilot in the rear seat. After completing a full stop landing at the destination airport, they taxied back to the runway to complete additional pattern work. As the student pilot began to rotate the airplane during takeoff roll, the flight instructor "saw an animal directly in front of the airplane on the centerline" and grabbed the flight controls in an effort to "miss the animal." He heard a "bang" as the airplane passed over what was later identified as a deer. The flight instructor stated that he then noticed the left rudder pedal was "looser" than normal and no brake pressure was observed in the left toe brake. After a few low passes and confirmation from the control tower that the left landing gear was not in the "normal position," the flight instructor decided to land the airplane. During landing rollout, the left wing struck the ground and the airplane came to rest on the runway. The postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the left landing gear had separated, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing spar. According to the flight instructor, no mechanical anomalies were present prior to hitting the deer.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA11CA027