- Date
- May 7, 2025, 20:29 local (May 8, 2025, 00:29 UTC)
- Place
- Tiffin, OH · Airport runway
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N335BGPiper PA-28-181
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Wildlife encounter (non-bird)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report November 6, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250507004059A
- Case key
- 200187
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 airplane’s collision with a deer on the runway during takeoff.
Findings · 1
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 flight instructor reported that the purpose of the flight was for her student to practice an instrument approach procedure under visual flight rules. After completion of the approach and during the landing roll at dusk, she instructed the student to retract the flaps and apply full power for a touch-and-go. As the airplane accelerated during the takeoff roll, a deer appeared from their right and impacted the airplane. The flight crew aborted the takeoff and brought the airplane to a stop. The underside of the fuselage was substantially damaged as a result of the collision. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N335BG
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2881085
- Built
- 2018
- Airframe hours
- 4,521.2
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bowling Green Flight Center LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · May 5, 2025 · 7.3 hours before
- Departed
- 1G0 · Bowling Green, OH
- Airport
- 16G · Seneca County Airport, runway 24, 4,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Stall warning system, Electronic multifunction display, ADS-B
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 7, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 536.2 total · 366.5 in this make and model · 422.1 as pilot in command · 70.4 in the last 90 days · 11.4 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 19
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 15, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 120.2 total · 33.6 in this make and model · 72.4 as pilot in command · 36.4 in the last 90 days · 9.8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- FDY, 21 nm away
- METAR
- KFDY 080053Z AUTO 07004KT 10SM CLR 19/12 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP166 T01940122
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 6, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 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.