- Date
- April 7, 2002, 21:30 local (Apr 8, 2002, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Louisa, VA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2375ZBeech BE-23
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report August 28, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20020407017699A
- Case key
- 54473
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 inadvertent collision with a deer while landing at night. A factor in the accident was the night condition.
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
While landing at night, a deer struck the right side of the airplane which buckled the fuselage and substantially damaged the horizontal stabilizer.
Factual narrative
On April 7, 2002, about 2130 eastern daylight time, a Beech BE-23, N2375Z, was substantially damaged while landing at the Louisa County/Freeman Field Airport (LKU), Louisa, Virginia. The certificated private pilot and three passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that originated from Hummel Field Airport, Saluda, Virginia. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, the airplane was landing on runway 9, a 4,301-foot long, 100-foot wide, asphalt runway. During the landing roll the pilot noticed a deer in the distance, and when the airplane was approximately 5 feet above the runway a deer struck the right side of the airplane. The pilot executed a "go-around," and noticed he had limited movement of the yoke due a "jammed" stabilator; however, the pilot landed without further incident.
An examination of the airplane revealed a buckled fuselage, and a substantially damaged stabilator.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2375Z
- Reported as
- Beech BE-23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M-99
- Airframe hours
- 2,151
- Engine
- Lycoming L-5257-39, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Daniel E. Garriques
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 21, 2001 · 26 hours before
- Departed
- W75 · Saluda, VA
- Destination
- LKU · Louisa, VA
- Airport
- LKU · Louisa County/Freeman Field, runway 09, 4,301 × 100 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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 29, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 900 total · 500 in this make and model · 840 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.34 inHg
- Observed at
- LKU
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 5, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 549 KB 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.