Probable cause
An inadvertent collision with a deer during a night landing.
NTSB analysis
According to the flight instructor, during a night landing at a non-tower-controlled airport, the student pilot flared the airplane. They both then felt and heard a loud jolt and thought the student pilot had made a hard landing. The student pilot completed the landing roll, turned the airplane around, and began to back taxi. During the back taxi, both pilots saw remnants of a deer in the middle of the runway. The student pilot was then directed to taxi off the runway and shut down the engine. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the main landing gear, engine compartment firewall, lower fuselage, nose cowling and propeller. No preexisting mechanical anomalies were noted with the airplane.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA12CA185 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Feb 14, 2012
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Eufaula, Alabama
- Nearest airport
- Weedon Field Airport (EUF)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Night
Cessna 172S
- N-number
- N6194V
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.