Ron Smith, chairman of the Northumberland County Airport Authority, said the pilot stopped at the Elysburg airport to refuel and noticed a deer scampered out onto the runway as he was taking off at about 8:30 p.m.
“He had enough speed that he was able to pick up the plane, but he did hit the deer with the wheel,” said Smith, who did not have the pilot’s full name.
The pilot landed safely at Williamsport Regional Airport in Lycoming County and found there was only a small crack in the fiberglass, Smith said.
How well the deer fared is a mystery.
No trace of the animal has been found near the runway, which is surrounded by woods and located in an agricultural zone.
“It really is a non-event. It’s not common, but it does happen,” said Smith of the deer-plane collision. “We’ve seen deer, and even a bear, nearby.”
He recalled a similar incident about three years ago when a local pilot struck a deer, killing the animal and damaging the plane’s propeller.
Heritage Aviation Manager Jon Trainer, who works at Penn Valley Airport in Selinsgrove, said four-legged wildlife aren’t a problem for the Snyder County facility, but birds pose a risk.
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MONTOURSVILLE -- A single-engine private plane landed safely Wednesday night at the Williamsport Regional Airport after hitting a deer as it was taking off from the Northumberland County Airport.
The Piper PA-28 owned and piloted by Carl Jenkins landed about 8:50 p.m. with emergency vehicles standing by at the airport in in Lycoming County. The only apparent damage was a little cut on a wheel cowling, said Jonathan Baker, airport operations and safety director.
Jenkins and a male passenger had left the Williamsport airport earlier in the day, flew to the Penns Valley Airport near Selinsgrove and then to the Northumberland County Airport outside Elysburg, Baker said.
Jenkins said he believes the deer was struck on the back as the plane was taking off, but he does not know if it was injured or killed. Neither Jenkins nor his passenger was injured, Baker said.
Source: http://www.pennlive.com
A single-engine aircraft with two people on board landed safely during an emergency landing at the Williamsport Regional Airport in Montoursville about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to emergency responders.
It was reported that the aircraft may have struck a deer on the runway when it took off from Selinsgrove.
Firefighters from the airport, the borough, Loyalsock Township and Pennsdale responded to the emergency.
Source: http://www.sungazette.com
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