CEN20LA431

Factual narrative

The instructor pilot reported that the pilot was taking off following a night touch and go landing when he and the pilot heard a loud thump and the airplane yawed strongly to the left. The instructor pilot took control of the airplane, continued the takeoff, brought the airplane back to the airport, and landed uneventfully. As the instructor pilot was taxiing the airplane to the ramp, both he and the pilot saw several deer adjacent to the runway. A postaccident examination revealed the airplane sustained substantial damage to the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator, and aft fuselage. The following morning a 100-pound deceased deer was found about 80 yards south of the departure runway. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The damage the airplane sustained was consistent with a deer strike. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Ability to respond/compensate
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Effect on equipment