NTSB CAROL · Event
Event IAD96LA130
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
the unexpected appearance of a deer on the runway.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On August 9, 1996, at about 1740 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32-260, N1439T, owned and operated by Aero Industries, Inc., struck a deer during departure from Montgomery County Airpark, in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The pilot and the one passenger were not injured, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions existed and an IFR flight plan was filed. The flight was departing Gaithersburg with an intended destination of Richmond, Virginia, and was conducted under 14 CFR Part 135. The pilot stated that on takeoff roll at about 60 knots, (kts) or so he took his eyes from outside to inside to check his airspeed. At about 70 kts he began to put back pressure on the control yoke. At about 75 to 80 kts, the nose wheel lifted off and the weight transferred from the main gear to the wings. He said it was at this moment that he heard a loud bang and the aircraft pitched up about 7 to 8 degrees followed by a flicker of the stall warning light. He said the engine was still at full power however the aircraft felt crippled. He attempted several times to turn left but the aircraft would "buffet" so he turned right and returned to the airport without further incident.
WRECKAGE EXAMINATION/DOCUMENTATION
Damage was found on the right wing, right flap, top right side of the right elevator, right main fuel cell, and the right main landing gear strut. During the takeoff roll, the pilot took his eyes off the runway to scan his airspeed. At about 75 to 80 kts, he began to rotate, then he heard a loud bang. The aircraft pitched up 7 to 8 degrees and the stall warning light illuminated. The pilot was able to control the aircraft and returned to the airport, where he landed without further incident. Investigation revealed the aircraft sustained substantial damage when it struck a deer. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1996_IAD96LA130.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
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