Narrative:

My 3 passenger and I were returning from a day at the beach. Flight was smooth and uneventful. I canceled IFR about 5 mi from W52, in good VMC (see above) with winds calm. Since I was coming in from the east, I decided to enter the traffic pattern on a 45 degree angle, and flew a normal left downwind, base and final to runway 9. Approach was intentionally slightly high (since it was dark and ground references on that approach are few, as it is a rural area), and the plane touched down approximately 1/4 mi past threshold (runway is 5000 ft long). At about the mid-point of the runway we came upon a herd of deer crossing from right to left. The herd was crossing more or less single-file, and extended to the left and right as far as I could see in the darkness. We were traveling at approximately 50 KTS and there was little time to respond. I braked moderately hard and there was an impact that activated the ELT and spun the plane around to the left. I regained directional control with right rudder, and continued to rollout, and deactivated the ELT. After parking the plane and confirming none of my passenger was injured and there was no fuel leaking from the plane, I took my handheld communication radio, (to warn any approaching air traffic) and my passenger and I removed the deer from the runway. The deer appeared to have died instantly. The airplane sustained significant damage to the left wing and left main gear door. No other air traffic was observed in the area. Subsequently, I learned that a group of commercial pilots based at W52 had been discussing how the university that operates the airport has partially installed a fence to keep deer off the field (since there have been 4 deer struck by planes in the past 2 yrs), and that, ironically, the partially completed fence actually acts to funnel the deer so that they tend to cross at the mid-point of the runway. The commercial pilots have adopted procedures to reduce risk of a deer-strike: 1) surface winds permitting, they land on runway 27 because a) the lighted ground references are better than runway 9 approach so it's easier and safer to make a lower approach and land closer to the threshold, and B) the taxiway is near the threshold of runway 27, so there is less tendency to continue traveling at relatively high speed down the runway, as when landing runway 9, to get to the other end, but instead, to terminate the rollout more quickly, turn around and back-taxi to the taxiway, 2) they routinely execute a short-field landing technique when landing at night at W52, thereby stopping well before the plane gets to the mid-point in the runway where the deer commonly cross. In the future I will adopt the above procedure. I also plan to write an article for our club newsletter so that others can avoid similar experiences or worse.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA HITS A DEER ON NON TWR ARPT RWY. NIGHT OP. FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE ANIMAL.

Narrative: MY 3 PAX AND I WERE RETURNING FROM A DAY AT THE BEACH. FLT WAS SMOOTH AND UNEVENTFUL. I CANCELED IFR ABOUT 5 MI FROM W52, IN GOOD VMC (SEE ABOVE) WITH WINDS CALM. SINCE I WAS COMING IN FROM THE E, I DECIDED TO ENTER THE TFC PATTERN ON A 45 DEG ANGLE, AND FLEW A NORMAL L DOWNWIND, BASE AND FINAL TO RWY 9. APCH WAS INTENTIONALLY SLIGHTLY HIGH (SINCE IT WAS DARK AND GND REFS ON THAT APCH ARE FEW, AS IT IS A RURAL AREA), AND THE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN APPROX 1/4 MI PAST THRESHOLD (RWY IS 5000 FT LONG). AT ABOUT THE MID-POINT OF THE RWY WE CAME UPON A HERD OF DEER XING FROM R TO L. THE HERD WAS XING MORE OR LESS SINGLE-FILE, AND EXTENDED TO THE L AND R AS FAR AS I COULD SEE IN THE DARKNESS. WE WERE TRAVELING AT APPROX 50 KTS AND THERE WAS LITTLE TIME TO RESPOND. I BRAKED MODERATELY HARD AND THERE WAS AN IMPACT THAT ACTIVATED THE ELT AND SPUN THE PLANE AROUND TO THE L. I REGAINED DIRECTIONAL CTL WITH R RUDDER, AND CONTINUED TO ROLLOUT, AND DEACTIVATED THE ELT. AFTER PARKING THE PLANE AND CONFIRMING NONE OF MY PAX WAS INJURED AND THERE WAS NO FUEL LEAKING FROM THE PLANE, I TOOK MY HANDHELD COM RADIO, (TO WARN ANY APCHING AIR TFC) AND MY PAX AND I REMOVED THE DEER FROM THE RWY. THE DEER APPEARED TO HAVE DIED INSTANTLY. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE L WING AND L MAIN GEAR DOOR. NO OTHER AIR TFC WAS OBSERVED IN THE AREA. SUBSEQUENTLY, I LEARNED THAT A GROUP OF COMMERCIAL PLTS BASED AT W52 HAD BEEN DISCUSSING HOW THE UNIVERSITY THAT OPERATES THE ARPT HAS PARTIALLY INSTALLED A FENCE TO KEEP DEER OFF THE FIELD (SINCE THERE HAVE BEEN 4 DEER STRUCK BY PLANES IN THE PAST 2 YRS), AND THAT, IRONICALLY, THE PARTIALLY COMPLETED FENCE ACTUALLY ACTS TO FUNNEL THE DEER SO THAT THEY TEND TO CROSS AT THE MID-POINT OF THE RWY. THE COMMERCIAL PLTS HAVE ADOPTED PROCS TO REDUCE RISK OF A DEER-STRIKE: 1) SURFACE WINDS PERMITTING, THEY LAND ON RWY 27 BECAUSE A) THE LIGHTED GND REFS ARE BETTER THAN RWY 9 APCH SO IT'S EASIER AND SAFER TO MAKE A LOWER APCH AND LAND CLOSER TO THE THRESHOLD, AND B) THE TXWY IS NEAR THE THRESHOLD OF RWY 27, SO THERE IS LESS TENDENCY TO CONTINUE TRAVELING AT RELATIVELY HIGH SPD DOWN THE RWY, AS WHEN LNDG RWY 9, TO GET TO THE OTHER END, BUT INSTEAD, TO TERMINATE THE ROLLOUT MORE QUICKLY, TURN AROUND AND BACK-TAXI TO THE TXWY, 2) THEY ROUTINELY EXECUTE A SHORT-FIELD LNDG TECHNIQUE WHEN LNDG AT NIGHT AT W52, THEREBY STOPPING WELL BEFORE THE PLANE GETS TO THE MID-POINT IN THE RWY WHERE THE DEER COMMONLY CROSS. IN THE FUTURE I WILL ADOPT THE ABOVE PROC. I ALSO PLAN TO WRITE AN ARTICLE FOR OUR CLUB NEWSLETTER SO THAT OTHERS CAN AVOID SIMILAR EXPERIENCES OR WORSE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.