- Date
- July 19, 2017, 16:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- New Market, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N55EMPiper PA28
- Defining event
- Landing: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 17, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20170719012519A
- Case key
- 95666
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 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 pilot of the airplane reported that, during the landing roll, two deer ran onto the runway and that one impacted the airplane's left side. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration Chart Supplement airport page for the destination airport, in part, stated: "Deer and birds on and [in the vicinity of the runway]."
Factual narrative
The pilot of the airplane reported that, during the landing roll, two deer ran onto the runway and one impacted the left side of the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration Chart Supplement airport page for the destination airport in part states: "Deer and birds on and [in the vicinity of the runway]".
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55EM
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (151)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7415328
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 15,010
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 21, 2017
- Departed
- VG18 · Basye, VA
- Destination
- 8W2 · New Market, VA
- Airport
- 8W2 · New Market, runway 24, 2,920 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, Stall warning system, Onboard weather
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
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Military
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 9, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,400 total · 350 in this make and model · 2,000 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1.7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KLUA, 10 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 20, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 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.