What happened
During a maintenance test flight at Greenwood County Airport in South Carolina, an aircraft operated by Stevens Aviation, Inc. was involved in a ground collision. The flight, which was being conducted under Part 91 regulations to verify newly installed autopilot and flight director systems, had completed an instrument approach before circling to land on Runway 9.
Approximately five seconds after the aircraft touched down, a deer emerged from the nearby treeline and entered the runway path. The animal struck the left wing's leading edge, just above the left main landing gear, causing a rupture in the adjacent fuel cell. Although the pilot maintained directional control of the aircraft, the resulting fuel leak ignited a fire. The two crew members were able to perform an emergency shutdown and exit the aircraft without sustaining any injuries.
Findings
- The impact with a deer caused a rupture of the aircraft's fuel cell.
- The aircraft, registered to the United States Customs Service, suffered substantial damage and was consumed by fire.
- There was no on-site fire station at the airport; emergency response from the fixed base operator's 911 call arrived roughly 10 minutes after the incident occurred.