- Date
- March 6, 2018, 19:45 local (Mar 7, 2018, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Kent, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N103KSCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Wildlife encounter (non-bird)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report June 14, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180306001489A
- Case key
- 96832
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 deer collided with aircraft during landing at night.
Findings · 2
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 reported that, during a night landing, he saw "a streak of motion" in his peripheral vision, followed by an impact with the empennage. He regained directional control and taxied clear of the runway. Postaccident examination revealed that a deer struck the horizontal stabilizer, which sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during a night landing, he saw "a streak of motion" in his peripheral vision, followed by an impact to the empennage. He regained directional control and taxied clear of the runway. In a postaccident examination, it was revealed that a deer struck the horizontal stabilizer, which sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N103KS
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10093
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 4,201.3
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Kent State University
- Registered owner
- Kent State University
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 19, 2018
- Departed
- CAK · Akron, OH
- Destination
- 1G3 · Kent, OH
- Airport
- 1G3 · Kent State Univ, runway 01, 4,000 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Data recorder, Auto-pilot, Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display, 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
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 22, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 193 total · 193 in this make and model · 120 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.65 inHg
- Observed at
- KAKR, 7 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 18, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.2 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.