NTSB ERA25LA375 — 2025-09-29 · Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, United States

Current FAA registration · N6703A

Make / Model: CESSNA 172
Year of manufacture: 1956 · 69 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER (145 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19560521
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A8DE7A

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N6703A Cessna 172 None

Probable cause & findings

The airplane’s collision with a deer on a runway during landing roll.

Factual narrative

Immediately after touchdown on the runway, the pilot noticed a large deer running in his peripheral vision. The deer contacted the left side of the airplane, which pushed it abruptly toward the left. The pilot steered the airplane to prevent a runway excursion, exited the runway, and parked the airplane. The pilot was unable to exit the pilot’s (left) side door, due to damage preventing it from opening. He exited from the right-side door without issue. The pilot was uninjured. The airplane’s left wing and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 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)-Effect on equipment

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_ERA25LA375.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers