- Date
- June 29, 2018, 21:45 local (Jun 30, 2018, 01:45 UTC)
- Place
- Hudson, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N615EMCirrus SR22
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Wildlife encounter (non-bird)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180629008819A
- Case key
- 97759
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
Collision with a deer during landing.
Findings · 3
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
According to the pilot, following a night visual flight rules cross-country flight, he overflew the destination airport at 1,500 ft above ground level and set up a normal approach. Just before touchdown, he saw a deer walk onto the runway from the right and collide with the left main landing gear, which then separated from the airplane. As the airplane settled, the left wing struck the runway, and the airplane veered left. The airplane exited the left side of the runway and collided with a drainage culvert. The airplane sustained substantial damage the left wing spar and the left main landing gear attachment points. The airport facility directory did not contain a note to caution that deer were in the vicinity of the airport. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, following a night visual flight rules cross-country flight, he over flew the destination airport at 1,500ft AGL and set up a normal approach. Just prior to touch down he saw a deer enter the runway from the right and collide with the left main landing gear. The left main landing gear separated from the airplane. As the airplane settled, the left wing struck the runway and the airplane veered left. The airplane exited the left side of the runway and collided with a drainage culvert. The airplane sustained substantial damage the left wing spar and the left main landing gear attachment points. The airport facility directory does not contain a note to caution that deer are in the vicinity of the airport. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N615EM
- Reported as
- Cirrus SR22 (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3682
- Built
- 2010
- Airframe hours
- 880
- Engine
- Continental IO-550-N, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ginther Associates LLC
- Registered owner
- Ginther Associates LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 16, 2018
- Departed
- CGS · College Park, MD
- Destination
- 1B1 · Hudson, NE
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 1B1 · Columbia County, runway 21, 5,350 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Handheld GPS, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Data recorder, Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, Airframe parachute, 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 20, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 680.2 total · 113.8 in this make and model · 633.2 as pilot in command · 53.4 in the last 90 days · 14.5 in the last 30 days · 1.8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KDDH, 41 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 20, 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.