Skip to content

CEN13CA337

2013-06-08 · Vinton, Iowa, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport VTI

Current FAA registration · N717JR

Make / Model
VAN'S AIRCRAFT RV7A
Year of manufacture
2007 · 6 years old at event
Engine
SUBARU ALL MDLS A/B (400 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20080530
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A996E6

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The inadvertent collision with a deer during landing.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, during a day landing at a non-tower-controlled airport, the airplane had just touched down and was traveling at about 60 mph when the pilot saw four deer running across the runway. He reported that he had no time to react and could not avoid hitting one of the deer. The collision resulted in a rupture of the fuel cell in the wing, and substantial damage to the wing spar, engine compartment firewall, and lower fuselage. According to the pilot, during a day landing at a non-tower-controlled airport, the airplane had just touched down and was traveling at about 60 mph when the pilot saw four deer running across the runway. He reported that he had no time to react and could not avoid hitting one of the deer. The collision resulted in a rupture of the fuel cell in the wing, and substantial damage to the wing spar, engine compartment firewall, and lower fuselage. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Effect on operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_CEN13CA337.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.