What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On September 29, 2020 at approximately 7:40 pm eastern daylight time (EDT), N79300, a C-172-K aircraft, registered privacy data omitted and operated by an airline transport pilot/flight instructor, received substantial damage after striking a deer during takeoff rotation while departing runway 27 at the Roben-Hood Airport (rqb) in Big Rapids, Michigan.
The instructional flight was being conducted under the provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and instrument student aboard the aircraft were not injured. The flight originated from the lowell city airport (24C) in lowell, Michigan.
According to the instructor, he and his student were practicing instrument approaches. After completing an approach to a landing on runway 27, they began their takeoff roll. Dusky lighting conditions prevailed, with local sunset having occurred at 7:24 pm EDT. The pilot stated that as the aircraft was rotating and about to lift off, the occupants heard a loud bang and felt an impact. The aircraft yawed left and full rudder had mininal impact. With limited runway remaining, the pilots elected to continue the takeoff and remain in the traffic pattern to return for landing to investigate.
While maneuvering to return for landing, the pilots found the controls to be responding abnormally. Significant aileron input was required to maintain straight and level flight. Upon safely landing, the pilots inspected the aircraft and found substantial damage to the empennage.
It appears the deer struck the aircraft on the right (copilot) side of the aircraft close to the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer, as the aircraft sustained damage to the tail structure. The entire empennage is canted approximately 5 degrees to the left (pilot) side of the aircraft. The pilot stated that it appears the stringers are all broken and the tail structure is being held to the fuselage by the skin alone.
Additional damage includes: right horizontal stabilizer separated from the fuselage at the leading edge, substantial damage to the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator, vertical stabilizer canted to the left (pilot) side along with the rest of the empennage and significant skin damage to the aft fuselage.
The pilots located a deer carcass adjacent to the runway near the point where the pilots felt and heard the impact. They stated they never saw the deer in the low light conditions, before or after the impact, and only positively confirmed the deer strike upon locating the carcass.
Visual meteorological conditions and light winds prevailed at the time of the accident. The weather report at Roben-Hood Airport (rqb) at 2335Z was: wind 250 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, skies clear, temperature 11, dew point 07, and altimeter 2975.
As the FAA filed it
ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 AT APPROXIMATELY 7:40 PM EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME (EDT), N79300, A C-172-K AIRCRAFT, REGISTERED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND OPERATED BY AN AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT/FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AFTER STRIKING A DEER DURING TAKEOFF ROTATION WHILE DEPARTING RUNWAY 27 AT THE ROBEN-HOOD AIRPORT (RQB) IN BIG RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.
THE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT AND INSTRUMENT STUDENT ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT WERE NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE LOWELL CITY AIRPORT (24C) IN LOWELL, MICHIGAN.
ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTOR, HE AND HIS STUDENT WERE PRACTICING INSTRUMENT APPROACHES. AFTER COMPLETING AN APPROACH TO A LANDING ON RUNWAY 27, THEY BEGAN THEIR TAKEOFF ROLL. DUSKY LIGHTING CONDITIONS PREVAILED, WITH LOCAL SUNSET HAVING OCCURRED AT 7:24 PM EDT. THE PILOT STATED THAT AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS ROTATING AND ABOUT TO LIFT OFF, THE OCCUPANTS HEARD A LOUD BANG AND FELT AN IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT YAWED LEFT AND FULL RUDDER HAD MININAL IMPACT. WITH LIMITED RUNWAY REMAINING, THE PILOTS ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE TAKEOFF AND REMAIN IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN TO RETURN FOR LANDING TO INVESTIGATE.
WHILE MANEUVERING TO RETURN FOR LANDING, THE PILOTS FOUND THE CONTROLS TO BE RESPONDING ABNORMALLY. SIGNIFICANT AILERON INPUT WAS REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLIGHT. UPON SAFELY LANDING, THE PILOTS INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT AND FOUND SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE EMPENNAGE.
IT APPEARS THE DEER STRUCK THE AIRCRAFT ON THE RIGHT (COPILOT) SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT CLOSE TO THE LEADING EDGE OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, AS THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE TAIL STRUCTURE. THE ENTIRE EMPENNAGE IS CANTED APPROXIMATELY 5 DEGREES TO THE LEFT (PILOT) SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT STATED THAT IT APPEARS THE STRINGERS ARE ALL BROKEN AND THE TAIL STRUCTURE IS BEING HELD TO THE FUSELAGE BY THE SKIN ALONE.
ADDITIONAL DAMAGE INCLUDES: RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE AT THE LEADING EDGE, SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND ELEVATOR, VERTICAL STABILIZER CANTED TO THE LEFT (PILOT) SIDE ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE EMPENNAGE AND SIGNIFICANT SKIN DAMAGE TO THE AFT FUSELAGE.
THE PILOTS LOCATED A DEER CARCASS ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY NEAR THE POINT WHERE THE PILOTS FELT AND HEARD THE IMPACT. THEY STATED THEY NEVER SAW THE DEER IN THE LOW LIGHT CONDITIONS, BEFORE OR AFTER THE IMPACT, AND ONLY POSITIVELY CONFIRMED THE DEER STRIKE UPON LOCATING THE CARCASS.
VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND LIGHT WINDS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE WEATHER REPORT AT ROBEN-HOOD AIRPORT (RQB) AT 2335Z WAS: WIND 250 DEGREES AT 3 KNOTS, VISIBILITY 10 STATUTE MILES, SKIES CLEAR, TEMPERATURE 11, DEW POINT 07, AND ALTIMETER 2975.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N79300 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.