- Date
- October 20, 1990, 19:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Bridgeport, WV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N757RMCessna C152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901020046619A
- Case key
- 11637
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's inability to avoid a collision with deer which had moved onto the runway during their takeoff roll. The dark night contributed to the accident by limiting the pilots' visual outlook.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The flight instructor and dual student were departing on a local night flight, when the tower informed them about several deer walking on the airport. The CFI stated that a landing aircraft reported that the runway was clear, so they taxied into position for takeoff. The CFI reported that as the aircraft approached rotation speed, the pilots noticed two deer on the runway in front of the aircraft. The CFI reduced power and veered right in an attempt to avoid the collision, but the tail section of the aircraft impacted one of the deer.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N757RM
- Reported as
- Cessna C152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15279944
- Airframe hours
- 6,389
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kci Enterprises, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 17, 1990
- Airport
- CKB · Benedum, runway 21
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 22
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,100 total · 700 in this make and model · 1,010 as pilot in command · 310 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.