Cessna Aircraft Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 2; Flight Crew Total 60; Flight Crew Type 60
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Ground Event / Encounter Person / Animal / Bird
Flight Crew Rejected Takeoff; General Maintenance Action
Airport; Environment - Non Weather Related
I was taking off in a Cessna 172 at night at 50R. I was making three takeoffs and landings at night in order to be able to fly passengers at night. I flew once around the pattern; landed; and taxied back to the beginning of the runway. I looked down the runway; and it was clear. I started my normal takeoff roll and reached 50 kts. I was just about to rotate when a herd of five deer jumped onto the runway from the left side. The dear ran in front of the airplane; and the airplane struck one of the dear. There was no action I could have taken to avoid hitting the dear; as the plane was moving too fast to bring it to a full stop in time; and the herd was dispersed across the entire runway. I immediately aborted the takeoff by pulling the power to idle and applying full brakes. Control of the aircraft was never fully lost. I then proceeded to taxi back to the FBO and shut off the airplane. Upon examination; the right landing gear strut had struck the dear. The aluminum casing for the strut was damaged and morphed; although the interior structural component of the strut appeared undamaged. The brake also did not seem to be affected while taxiing. The deer was found dead on the runway. I contacted the nearest approach control and notified them of the incident. The presence of wildlife on the airstrip caused the problem. Moving forward; preventative measures should be taken at 50R to prevent wildlife form entering the field.
Cessna pilot reported a deer strike that resulted in an aborted takeoff and damage to the aircraft.