Airplane collides with deer at Huntingburg Airport

A landing airplane struck a deer on the Huntingburg Airport runway Thursday night. 

A privately-owned Beechcraft King Air 350 had touched down on the runway when the deer ran into its path. The starboard (passenger side if it was a car) propeller of the twin engine aircraft struck the deer and killed it instantly. 

According to Travis McQueen, the airport manager, he was called back out to the airport a little before 7 p.m. when the accident occurred. 

“We were lucky because the pilot was able to keep the aircraft on the runway after hitting the deer,” said McQueen who estimated the plane was still slowing from about 100 knots (115 mph) when it struck the deer.

No one was injured in the incident.

The pilot will file a report with the Federal Aviation Administration who will then decide whether or not to open an investigation into the incident.

Damages to the airplane were not released, but the plane was able taxi off the runway under its own power.

Another private plane was scheduled to arrive about an hour after the incident, but McQueen worked with the pilots and crew to remove the carcass and debris from the runway before that scheduled landing. 

McQueen said this is the second major incident involving an animal strike by an aircraft in the 14 years he has worked at the Huntingburg Airport. A plane struck a coyote with its landing gear in January of 2005. 

A Beechcraft King Air 350 is a twin-engine prop plane with a wingspan of about 58 feet and can carry up to 11 people.