No fatalities

12 Sep 2017: CESSNA 177 B — Harrisonville, MO

Harrisonville, MO, United States

On 12 Sep 2017, a CESSNA 177 B was involved in an aviation accident near Harrisonville, MO. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: A collision with a deer on the runway during the takeoff roll. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported hearing a bang and feeling as though the airplane hit a brick wall during takeoff. At 800 ft, he observed the left main landing gear in an abnormal position. He declared an emergency and performed a gear-up landing. The left stabilizer sustained substantial damage.

Incident Overview

During takeoff, the pilot reported hearing a "bang" and described the sensation as "it felt though the airplane hit a brick wall [deer]." The pilot continued the climb and examined the engine instruments, which appeared normal. At approximately 800 ft above ground level, he looked out the left pilot side window and observed that the fixed left main landing gear was "oddly positioned up next to [the] seat/door."

Pilot Actions

The pilot immediately contacted air traffic control and declared an emergency. He subsequently performed a "gear up" landing at the destination airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left stabilizer.

Mechanical Status

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Ability to respond/compensate