Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 30; Flight Crew Total 1800; Flight Crew Type 700
Ground Event / Encounter Person / Animal / Bird
General None Reported / Taken
Environment - Non Weather Related; Airport
During rollout after landing (nearing walking speed) a small deer ran from the right side of runway and impacted the lower nose cowling behind propeller. Deer was spotted just before impact and no action could have been taken to avoid collision. Aircraft was stopped and shut down on runway and inspected for damage. Air intake located on lower part of nose cowling was slightly dented on pilot's side; no other physical damage was observed. Propeller did not seem to be damaged. The engine was restarted and static tests were made at various RPMs up to 2;000 RPM; no adverse vibrations or sounds were noted. Taxi tests were made to confirm the landing gear and brakes were not affected by the incident; all performed as normal. Takeoff was made and we remained in traffic pattern up to 3;000 feet AGL; all engine instruments indicated normal operation. The flight was continued to the destination airport with no unexpected events; vibrations; sounds; or other indications that safety was a concern or in jeopardy. Contact was made with Approach Control for flight following and airspace transition. The approach and landing at the destination airport was normal and no unusual or special actions were needed to maintain directional control. After taxiing back to ramp area; normal shutdown procedures were conducted and aircraft was tied-down; no other actions were taken. All judgments and decisions were made with safety as first priority. All actions were taken to comply with Aviation Regulations. At no point did I feel in danger to myself or people/property on the ground. [I suggest the following] corrective actions: 1) Install (higher) fences around all airports in the U.S. 2) Install cattle grids along/around all runways;reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_grid3) Install motion sensors along runways with LED spotlights so wildlife can be easily spotted.
Late in the night landing rollout a small deer darted into the path of the reporter's C172 and was struck by the airplane's lower engine cowling.  No evidence of powerplant or airframe damage was noted during an on-site visual inspection or during a variety of ground and in flight based tests.