Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 250; Flight Crew Total 650; Flight Crew Type 3
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Ground Event / Encounter Person / Animal / Bird
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged
Human Factors; Airport
While providing night instruction to a student working toward a private pilot certificate; our aircraft struck a buck deer on the runway. The deer ran head first into the propeller while we were on the takeoff roll approximately 1500 feet down the runway. One contributing factor to the incident may have been that the runway lights were not on at the time of the strike. My student just commenced an approach and landing with a simulated failure of the onboard radio leaving him unable to activate the runway lights. Our source of illumination for the runway landing area was the landing light of the aircraft. If the runway lighting system had been turned on it is possible we may have been able to see the animal sooner and avoid the strike.
PA28 Instructor with a student reported striking a deer well into the takeoff roll. The runway lights were not on at the time and the landing light revealed the deer too late to take evasive action.