So there I was...

[undatc]

Me and my buddy had rented an old Arrow out of the local FBO here at KGFK and took it down to Fargo to burn some fuel off for the next days trip, dont ask us why we didnt just dump it, but flying for two hours seemed like moee fun.

So we get back into GFK and we are in the downwind for 17R when we hear a UND warrior call up, (and I quote word for word)

"Uhhhhh tower.... we just hit... a deer."

The tower calls back, you can hear the muffeled laughing in his voice, "What? Say again Sioux 56?"

"We hit a deer...."

The only thing I can think about at the moment is Bill Engvalls sketch where he calls his wife and tells them they hit a deer, and she asks, "well were you flying?"

So the plane taxis off and limps back to the ramp, turns out the kid was on a night solo, and did a touch and go, and on roll out struck the deer as he was lifting off.  It damaged his left wing, and the landing gear strut.

What amazes me is that one, he didnt prop stirke the plane (mad props to you dude for being a good pilot there) but two, you just hit something and dont know the condition of a 100k plane you dont own, and you taxi it back to the ramp, possiably causing more damage to it, (bad pilot).

Oh yea, the deer is still at large.

[Gulfstream Driver]

I'm impressed he didn't roll the plane into a little ball.

[Zaffex]

You mean the deer survived??

[Frank N. O.]

"... santa was making one last round." The version I heard had him say that at the end of the story, where his wife said: Oh my god were you on the ground? (all shocked).

At least there wasn't as much damage/injury as in the Engvall story (wrecked plane and dead deer).

Frank

[Baradium]

The local FBO based flight school at Murfreesboro (TN) lost a cherokee to a deer about 2 years ago.  Totaled the airframe.  Deer ran ran behind the prop and hit the side of the cowling on rollout.   Bent the firewall.  Airplane didn't actually look that bad, but was totaled...   deer walked away.

[Frank N. O.]

O...K... Either Pipers are really weak bits of kit (english term for equipment) or deers in America are a lot tougher than here.

Frank

[Thunder Eagle]

O...K... Either Pipers are really weak bits of kit (english term for equipment) or deers in America are a lot tougher than here.

Frank

Are you serious?  Hitting a deer in America (I'd guess anywhere) is a serious matter.  People total their cars and even get killed by striking a deer.  And often the deer is relatively unharmed.  Maybe you're thinking of a Jackalope? 

[Baradium]

Are you serious?  Hitting a deer in America (I'd guess anywhere) is a serious matter.  People total their cars and even get killed by striking a deer.  And often the deer is relatively unharmed.  Maybe you're thinking of a Jackalope? 

I think the European deer are much smaller.      Up here we also have to worry about moose... 


I do have to differ in that when people get killed or total cars, usually the deer isn't all that great off either. 

[Frank N. O.]

Ok I'd better find a picture of a deer to make sure I'm thinking of the right animal. A moose is serious but they're not in DK, except for a illegal immigrant from Sweden that swam the sound lol. There a few skinny 4-legged things with long necks that are here in DK but even though they something you should always avoid hitting then it was just reading that a plane got totally by it, and it walked away just doesn't sound right. If you hit what I think is called a deer in DK and you car looses more than a bumper or headlight then that animal will most likely be seriously hurt but as said, maybe they are smaller here, or even more likely, I don't know quite know what I'm talking about.

Frank

[Baradium]

Sometimes it just has to do with how the impact is.  If it hits in just the right spot and all.   As far as cars, again it depends on how you hit them.   Usually if you're going to total something the deer is going to have issues too, but not always.

[switchtech]

Here's the wiki for the typical deer found here in the States:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_Deer

jbs

[BrianGMFS]

One of the Local FBO owners hit one on landing with the prop.... Vennison for dinner and an overhaul for the prop and engine.... Oh, did I mention that the aircraft was returning from having the engine overhauled??? DOH!!!!


Brian

[Gulfstream Driver]

One of the Local FBO owners hit one on landing with the prop.... Vennison for dinner and an overhaul for the prop and engine.... Oh, did I mention that the aircraft was returning from having the engine overhauled??? DOH!!!!


Brian

Yay for insurance.

Frank, the typical white-tail deer weighs as much as an adult human.  When they come onto the road at full speed, they tend to do a lot of damage, especially if you're going 60 MPH.  I hit one with a minivan once.  Smashed the bumper, right headlight, grill, and put a hole in the radiator.  Killed the deer, but she was still in pretty good shape, considering.  I was actually lucky the airbags didn't deploy, otherwise I would have been in the ditch. 

Most cars in America will survive a deer crash with repairable damage.  It's moose you have to watch out for.  As far as I know, the only car that is designed to survive a moose is the Volvo. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wapiti

[Frank N. O.]

Ah, I see I didn't really knew what I was talking about, the deers I saw, called dadyr in danish, are the small whitetail ones that only look the size of a Stor Dansker (Great Dane dog), but I thank you for supplying me with good information for me to learn from 

Btw, the original SAAB (Svenska Aeroplan Aktie Bolag) also made cars with pipes in the A-pillars so the cabin and thus the inhabitants could survive the torso of a moose ramming the windshield due to it's long legs would have the torso over the front of the car. This was the original 900-model from the 80s, not sure what the GM-based later model 900 and 9-3 etc. are made to withstand, I honestly don't think there's much SAAB left in those cars, and the 9-2 and 9-7X were just insults, the 9-2 also for Subaru.

There are signs here warning about possible high risk areas for animal traffic over roads and it pictures a deer but no-one slows down there, not even down to the speedlimit (80% of all danish drivers speed, always, and I can sadly confirm this in person, and they're not paying attention either).

Aren't there fences around the landing areas in north american airports btw? There are here in DK (all nine of them) but maybe it's impossible/useless/too expensive in the many smaller airports in NA?

Frank

[fireflyr]

I dunno, they never found the deer, all i know is that the warrior was messed up badly.

Maybe catering found it first