Piper PA23 N6562A accident near Atlanta, Georgia

Probable cause

The airplane’s impact with a deer on the runway during landing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, during the landing flare, as the main landing gear touched down, he saw three deer run across the runway from the right to the left and directly under the airplane. He decided to go around and added power and increased pitch, but he was not able to clear the animals, and he heard and felt an impact under the airplane. He decided to abort the go-around, so he reduced power and landed back on the runway. The nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration Airport Facility Directory page for the accident airport stated, in part, the following: "Deer on and [in vicinity of] airport."

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA19CA310 for the full record.