- Date
- June 8, 2025, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Knoxville, TN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4533XPiper PA28
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Wildlife encounter (non-bird)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 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
- 20250608011319A
- Case key
- 200358
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
A collision with a deer during the landing roll.
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 student pilot had performed four uneventful landings, and during approach for the fifth landing, the flight instructor reported he scanned the runway environment and did not see anything that would warrant discontinuing the landing. The pilot continued the approach and after touchdown during the landing roll the flight instructor saw two deer run out from the tree line next to the runway. The flight instructor decided to apply the brakes, and while traveling at a speed of about 20 knots, one of the deer impacted the left wing, substantially damaging it. After the collision the airplane was taxied to the ramp and secured.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4533X
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (181)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7690031
- Built
- 1975
- Airframe hours
- 7,156
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 5, 2025 · 69 hours before
- Airport
- DKX · Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, runway 26, 3,499 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 23, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 500 total · 41 in this make and model · 394 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 34
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 73 total · 7 in this make and model · 11 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 13 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
- Observed at
- KDKX
- METAR
- METAR KDKX 081555Z AUTO 23013G21KT 10SM FEW024 FEW028 FEW080 27/22 A2981 RMK A01=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 14, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.0 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.