- Date
- September 12, 1991, 20:50 local (Sep 13, 1991, 00:50 UTC)
- Place
- Johnstown, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N38147Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report May 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910912039799A
- Case key
- 37012
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 collision with a deer while landing. A factor related to the accident was night conditions which restricted the pilot's view of the deer until it was within the illumination of the landing light.
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
The dual instructional flight was landing at night when a deer ran onto the runway. The airplane struck the deer and received substantial damage. The deer was not seen until it was illuminated by the landing light.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38147
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7725231
- Airframe hours
- 7,119
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-DE3B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Air Charter Service
- Registered owner
- Air Charter Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 16, 1991 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- AFT · Washington, PA
- Destination
- JST · Johnstown, PA
- Airport
- JST · Johnstown-Cambria, runway 33, 5,486 × 150 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
- 66
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,150 total · 1,120 in this make and model · 5,760 as pilot in command · 270 in the last 90 days · 85 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.