- Date
- May 18, 2019, 07:15 local (11:15 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6562APiper PA23
- Defining event
- Landing: Wildlife encounter (non-bird)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 13, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190518004839A
- Case key
- 99542
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 impact with a deer on the runway during landing.
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 reported that, during the landing flare, as the main landing gear touched down, he saw three deer run across the runway from the right to the left and directly under the airplane. He decided to go around and added power and increased pitch, but he was not able to clear the animals, and he heard and felt an impact under the airplane. He decided to abort the go-around, so he reduced power and landed back on the runway. The nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the 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 Airport Facility Directory page for the accident airport stated, in part, the following: "Deer on and [in vicinity of] airport."
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during the landing flare, as the main landing gear touched down, he saw three deer run across the runway from the right to the left and "directly under the plane." He added power and increased pitch for a go around but was not able to clear the animals. He heard and felt an impact under the airplane. He looked at the left engine mirror and observed the nose landing gear "dangling". He decided to abort the go around, so he reduced power and landed back on the runway. The nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the 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 Airport Facility Directory page for the accident airport, in part, stated: "Deer on and [in vicinity of] airport."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6562A
- Reported as
- Piper PA23 (250)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-7954009
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 8,556.8
- Engines
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 6, 2019
- Departed
- FPR · Fort Pierce, FL
- Destination
- FFC · Atlanta, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- FFC · Atlanta Rgnl Falcon Field, runway 13, 5,768 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- 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
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 9, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 600 in this make and model · 1,300 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KFFC
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 26, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.5 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.