Summary
On May 18, 2019, a Piper PA23 (N6562A) was involved in an incident near Atlanta, GA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The airplane’s impact with a deer on the runway during landing.
The pilot reported that, during the landing flare, as the main landing gear touched down, he saw three deer run across the runway from the right to the left and "directly under the plane." He added power and increased pitch for a go around but was not able to clear the animals. He heard and felt an impact under the airplane. He looked at the left engine mirror and observed the nose landing gear "dangling". He decided to abort the go around, so he reduced power and landed back on the runway.
This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA19CA310. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N6562A.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The airplane’s impact with a deer on the runway during landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The pilot reported that, during the landing flare, as the main landing gear touched down, he saw three deer run across the runway from the right to the left and "directly under the plane." He added power and increased pitch for a go around but was not able to clear the animals. He heard and felt an impact under the airplane. He looked at the left engine mirror and observed the nose landing gear "dangling". He decided to abort the go around, so he reduced power and landed back on the runway. The nose landing gear collapsed.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The Federal Aviation Administration Airport Facility Directory page for the accident airport, in part, stated:
"Deer on and [in vicinity of] airport."
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA19CA310