An airplane had to make an emergency landing at Space Coast Regional Airport (KTIX) in Titusville, FL this evening after an odd incident. During takeoff, the airplane struck a deer that had ventured onto the runway. The incident occurred at around 9 p.m. local time tonight so darkness is believed to have played a role in the pilot not seeing the deer until it was too late.
The airplane, a single-engine Piper, continued the climb into the air and circled the field while trying to determine if there was any significant damage to the airplane and to burn off some fuel. It was determined that the was visible damage to the left main landing gear. The airplane remained in the air as Space Coast airport authorities awaited the arrival of Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) equipment from Kennedy Space Center just in case.
Pilot was able to make a successful landing with the left wing skidding on the ground due to the damaged left gear. There was no fire and no injuries to the three occupants on board.
A similar event occurred in the Chicago area in March of this year at Campbell Airport (C81) in the Chicago suburb of Grayslake. During a landing attempt, a Piper Seneca aircraft struck a deer that darted into the path of the airplane. The pilot was able to abort the landing and climb back up into the air.
The pilot then decided to divert to a larger airport due to uncertainty of any damage and lack of ARFF equipment at Campbell Airport. The plane diverted to Chicago Executive Airport (KPWK) in Wheeling, north of Chicago.
The Piper in the Chicago incident also had damage the left landing gear, resulting in a similar landing with the left wing scrapping along the runway as the plane landed at KPWK. No injuries were reported to any of the 5 passengers in this incident.
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