- Date
- December 10, 1999, 17:30 local (Dec 11, 1999, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Gillette, WY
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3912CCessna 421C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19991210044789A
- Case key
- 48349
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 on the runway during a night landing. A factor was the dark night.
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
During landing roll, after conducting a visual approach during dark night conditions, the airplane struck a deer on the runway. No preventative measures had been taken by the airport authority, other than listing as an obstruction the possibility of deer and antelope on the runway.
Factual narrative
On December 10, 1999, at 1730 mountain standard time, a Cessna 421C, N3912C, operated by Flight Line Aviation as an on demand air taxi, sustained substantial damage when it collided with a deer during landing roll at Campbell County Airport, Gillette, Wyoming. The commercial pilot and his two passengers were not injured. Dark night visual conditions prevailed for this charter flight operating under Title 14 CFR Part 135 and an IFR flight plan was filed. The flight departed Rapid City, South Dakota, at 1645.
According to the pilot, shortly after touchdown during landing roll, four deer appeared on the runway crossing from right to left. One deer collided with the right forward portion of the fuselage and right propeller. Both hull and propeller damage resulted.
Published airport information lists deer and antelope as possible obstructions. There is no anti deer or antelope fencing or other game discouragement devices.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3912C
- Reported as
- Cessna 421C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 421C-0139
- Airframe hours
- 5,271
- Engine
- Continental GTSIO520L, 375 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Flight Line Incorporated, doing business as Flight Line Aviation
- Registered owner
- Business Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 27, 1999 · 41 hours before
- Departed
- RAP · Rapid City, SD
- Destination
- GCC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- GCC · Campbell County, runway 16, 7,500 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 85 in this make and model · 1,770 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 250° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GCC, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.