Pilot Was Uninjured, But Two Deer And The Piper Didn't Fare So
Well
You think about this kind of thing when driving your car at
night, but given that so many GA airports are in rural areas where
wildlife is a fact of life, it's maybe surprising that it doesn't
happen more often. The pilot of a Piper PA 46-350P was uninjured
when his airplane hit "several" deer on departure from Oconee
County Regional Airport (KCEU) in Clemson, South Carolina last
month. However, two of the deer that were struck while crossing the
runway at dusk were killed, and the airplane suffered substantial
damage as a result of the ensuing hard landing.
NTSB Identification: ERA10LA247
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, April 23, 2010 in Clemson, SC
Aircraft: PIPER PA 46-350P, registration: N364ST
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may
contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when
the final report has been completed.
On April 23, 2010, about 2245 eastern daylight time, a Piper
PA-46-350 Mirage, N364ST, was substantially damaged when it struck
several deer during its takeoff roll on runway 7 at Oconee County
Regional Airport (KCEU), Clemson, South Carolina. The pilot held a
private pilot certificate with an instrument rating, and night VFR
conditions prevailed. An instrument flight plan was filed for the
business flight.
According to the owner/pilot, he based the airplane at Smith
Reynolds Airport (KINT), Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The day
before the accident, he flew from KINT to KCEU, and returned to INT
that night. Both flights were uneventful. For the takeoff the night
before the accident, which was conducted about the same time of
night as the accident takeoff, he utilized runway 25. The morning
of the accident, he again flew the airplane from INT to CEU. On the
night of the accident, he again arrived at KCEU after dark, and
again went directly to his airplane. He conducted a preflight
inspection, and reported no anomalies. He started the engine about
2240, and then listened to the KCEU Automated Surface Observation
System (ASOS) broadcast for airport conditions. The ASOS
information favored runway 7, and did not include mention of deer
or other wildlife activity. The pilot activated the airport
lighting, and taxied to the runup area for runway 7. He stated that
he had the two wingtip taxi lights illuminated for the taxi-out and
engine runup, and that the runup was conducted with the airplane
"angled to see possible approaching aircraft."
The pilot had filed an IFR flight plan, and planned to obtain
his ATC clearance once he was airborne, due to the visual
meteorological conditions. He turned on the landing light, which
was affixed to the nose landing gear (NLG), and took the runway for
takeoff. He applied power and released the brakes. When the
airplane was at a speed the pilot estimated to be between 50 and 65
knots, the pilot saw "brown animals" in the airplane's path,
traveling from left to right. He saw approximately four to eight
animals, and "instinctively pulled back" on the control column to
avoid them. The airplane became airborne but the pilot felt the
airplane strike one or more of the animals. The airplane was in a
nose-high attitude, and the stall warning horn was sounding. The
pilot observed that his airspeed was decreasing, and reduced his
back pressure on the column in response. The airplane touched down
"hard" on the main landing gear, and the nose "fell through" until
the propeller and fuselage contacted the runway. The airplane
veered to the right, and the pilot retarded the "throttle, prop and
fuel" to shut down the engine. After the airplane came to a stop,
the pilot secured the engine and airplane systems.
File Photo
According to the airport manager, when the airplane was
approximately 1,350 feet down the runway, the airplane struck
several whitetail deer that were on the runway. The airplane came
to rest just off the south side of the runway, approximately 2,000
feet down the runway. There was no fire. An emergency response was
initiated at 2248 via telephone, and volunteer fire department
personnel and rescue personnel from two separate organizations
arrived on scene at 2256. Two deer, one which was cut into three
separate pieces, were found on the runway. The airport manager
stated that a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) that closed the runway was
issued about 2300. The airplane and two dead deer were removed from
the runway, the runway was inspected, and the runway closure NOTAM
was then cancelled at 0105.
According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 2005,
and was first registered to the pilot in January 2008. The airplane
was equipped with a Lycoming TIO-540 series engine, and a
constant-speed propeller. Preliminary examination of the airplane
by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and repair station
personnel revealed that the NLG was collapsed, the radar pod on the
right wing was dented, all three propeller blades were bent, one
engine mount attach point was fractured, and the firewall was
buckled.
FAA records and pilot testimony indicated that the pilot held a
private pilot certificate, with airplane single engine land and
instrument airplane ratings. He had accumulated approximately 1,106
total hours of flight experience, including 406 in the accident
airplane make and model. The pilot's most recent FAA third-class
medical certificate was issued in August 2009, and his most recent
flight review was completed in December 2009.
According to FAA information, KCEU was a public airport, owned
and operated by Oconee County, South Carolina. CEU was equipped
with a single asphalt runway, designated 7/25, which measured 4,400
by 100 feet. Three instrument approach procedures (IAP) were
available at CEU. Neither the FAA-published IAP charts nor the
airport facility directory for CEU contained any mention of deer.
CEU NOTAM number 04/016, which contained the text "AD DEER ON AND
INVOF RWY," was available on the FAA web page. CEU was not
certificated under Title 14 CFR Part 139, nor was it required to
be.
According to the pilot and the airport manager, a
federally-funded runway extension project was in progress at the 25
threshold end of the runway. A wooded area of approximately 60
acres, which was the property of Clemson University, was situated
north of, and adjacent to, the airport property. The treeline was
located approximately 150 feet from the runway, and no fence
separated the two.