Small Aircraft
Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 199; Flight Crew Total 5900; Flight Crew Type 210
Ground Event / Encounter Person / Animal / Bird
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged
Airport
I was the PIC on an IFR flight.  No one was present in the traffic pattern when we arrived at DYL.  From the north I entered a crosswind entry to a downwind for RWY 23.  The approach to landing was standard.  I started to round out above the threshold numbers of RWY 23 when I noticed out of my right peripheral a deer running perpendicular to us; right to left.  I immediately felt us hit the deer but did not know where it struck us.  I still had directional control of the aircraft and utilizing the elevator was able to slow down the aircraft while in ground effect.  The aircraft started to slow down; I was able to achieve full aft control input until the aircraft slowed down enough to the point where the nose wheel normally would have made contact with the runway.  Yet the nose continued to drop; and the prop struck the runway.  I was able to maintain the centerline of the runway and immediately brought the mixture to 'lean' full aft position; and turned the fuel selector to 'off'.  When the aircraft came to a complete stop on the runway we immediately exited the aircraft.  That is when we noticed the deer passed behind the prop; and hit the nose gear in the middle of its body.  The deer wrapped fully around the nose gear strut; snapping the strut fully aft and up onto the belly of the aircraft.
Single engine aircraft pilot reports striking a deer at touchdown at DYL airport that resulted in damage to the landing gear and prop.