- Date
- August 3, 2026, 10:25 local (14:25 UTC)
- Place
- Linden, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N412CVVans RV8
- Defining event
- Landing: Wildlife encounter (non-bird)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 1, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260803011619I
- Case key
- 203600
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 collision with a deer during touch-and-go landings.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that during the landing roll on runway 27 he observed three deer crossing the runway. The pilot initiated a go-around and heard a loud bang during the maneuver. The pilot subsequently flew a traffic pattern and returned for landing, unaware that the deer strike had damaged the right main landing gear and separated a portion of the landing gear assembly. During the subsequent landing, the airplane veered to the right and struck a runway marker sign, which resulted in the collapse of the left main landing gear. The airplane then skidded into the grass area adjacent to the runway and came to a stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the aft lower fuselage structure. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. A review of the airport directory found a remark to alert pilots to deer on and in the vicinity of the airport.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N412CV
- Reported as
- Vans RV8
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 81149
- Built
- 2008
- Airframe hours
- 276
- Engine
- Superior IO 360 xp-10360-B1AA2, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 20, 2025
- Departed
- 3DA · Flushing, MI
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 9G2 · Prices, runway 09/27, 3,999 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Onboard weather, Handheld GPS
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
- 79
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Remote, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 7, 2026
- Seat
- Center
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 724 total · 5 in this make and model · 724 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.99 inHg
- Observed at
- KFNT, 10 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KFNT 031353Z 30004KT 10SM CLR 21/16 A2999 RMK AO2 SLP154 T02060161=
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 1, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.