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.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov