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GAA18CA349

2018-06-01 · Martinsville, Virginia, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport MTV

Current FAA registration · N5554X

Make / Model
BEECH F33A
Year of manufacture
1990 · 28 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)
Seats / Engines
5 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19900410
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A714F8

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The airplane’s collision with a deer during takeoff.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, the right main landing gear struck a deer during takeoff. The pilot reported that the airplane had cleared the deer, "until it bounded up and hit the right wheel." The pilot continued the initial climb and communicated with observers on the ground. He flew near the observers and they confirmed that the landing gear was extended and appeared undamaged. However, the pilot flew to a maintenance facility with the landing gear extended and landed to assess the damage. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot, the right main landing gear struck a deer during takeoff. The pilot reported that the airplane had cleared the deer "until it bounded up and hit the right wheel." The pilot continued the initial climb and communicated with observers on the ground. He flew near the observers, and they confirmed that the landing gear was extended and appeared undamaged. However, the pilot flew to a maintenance facility with the landing gear extended and landed to assess the damage. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures 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.

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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2018_GAA18CA349.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 (maintenance). All research papers