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NYC03LA007

2002-10-15 · Point Pleasant, West Virginia, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 3I2

N137CD has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (CESSNA 425), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

An inadvertent collision with wildlife. A factor in the accident was wildlife having access to the runway environment.

Factual narrative

On October 15, 2002, about 1700 eastern daylight time, a Cirrus SR-20, N137CD, was substantially damaged while landing at the Mason County Airport (3I2), Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The student pilot and passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that departed Leesburg Executive Airport (JYO), Leesburg, Virginia, about 1540, destined for Point Pleasant. A flight plan was not filed, and the flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot stated that while on final approach, he spotted four deer on the runway, and that he adjusted his approach to land beyond them. As the airplane touchdown 700 to 1,000 feet past the deer, the pilot spotted three more deer to his right front about 50 to 75 feet away, and crossing the runway. The pilot added power, and pitched the nose of the airplane up. Two of the deer impacted the airplane. One went under the cockpit, and the other impacted the right wing. The airplane became airborne, spun to the right, and the pilot pitched the nose down. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, impacted a line of trees, and came to rest upright. According to a witness, while the airplane was rolling out, three deer ran across the runway into the path of the airplane. The airplane collided with the deer, and spun almost 360 degrees to the right. While on final approach, the pilot spotted four deer on the runway, so he adjusted his approach to land beyond them. As the airplane touchdown 700 to 1,000 feet past the deer, the pilot spotted three more deer crossing the runway. The pilot added power, and pitched the nose of the airplane up. Two of the deer impacted the airplane. One went under the cockpit, and the other impacted the right wing. The airplane became airborne, spun to the right, and the pilot pitched the nose down. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, impacted a line of trees, and came to rest upright. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2002_NYC03LA007.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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