- Date
- December 20, 2003, 16:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Harrison, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N69RSPiper PA-28RT-201T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20031220034789A
- Case key
- 58560
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 collapsing of the right main landing gear during the landing roll out as a result of impacting an animal on the runway during takeoff.
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 8,521-hour commercial pilot reported that he departed on Runway 22, and just after lift off, the aircraft impacted a deer with the right main landing gear. According to the pilot, "deer routinely cross the runway at this spot." Once airborne, the pilot reported some control difficulty and elected to return to the airport. The pilot circled the airport for approximately one hour to burn fuel. Due to the prevailing crosswind, the pilot elected to land at another airport. During the landing roll out, the right gear collapsed. An examination of the aircraft by the FAA inspector revealed the landing gear showed no indication of having collided with an object or animal on the runway.
Factual narrative
On December 20, 2003, at approximately 1615 central standard time, a Piper PA-28RT-201T single-engine airplane, N69RS, registered to North Star Aviation of Harrison, Arkansas, and operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged following a forced landing at the Boone County Airport (HRO), near Harrison, Arkansas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The local flight originated from Flippin Airport (FLP), near Flippin, Arkansas, at 1500.
The 8,521-hour pilot stated in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that he departed from Runway 22 at FLP, and just after lift off, the aircraft impacted a deer with the right main landing gear. According to the pilot, "deer routinely cross the runway at this spot." Once airborne, the pilot reported some control difficulty and elected to return to the airport. The pilot circled the airport for approximately one hour to burn fuel. Due to the prevailing crosswind at FLP, the pilot elected to land at HRO. During the landing roll out, the right main landing gear collapsed, resulting in structural damage to the right wing.
To alleviate the problem with deer on the runway, the pilot recommended deer eradication.
According to the FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, the landing gear showed no indication of a collision with an object or animal on the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N69RS
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT-201T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7931305
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-FB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David Franklin Davis
- Registered owner
- North Star Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 30, 2003 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- FLP · Flippin, AR
- Destination
- AR
- Airport
- HRO · Boone County Airport, runway 18, 6,161 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- September 10, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,521 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 8,121 as pilot in command · 172 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.