NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On November 17, 2012, about 1145 eastern standard time, a Cessna 550, N6763L, registered to the United States Customs Service, and operated by Stevens Aviation, Inc., was substantially damaged during collision with a deer after landing on Runway 9 at Greenwood County Airport (GRD), Greenwood, South Carolina. The airplane was subsequently consumed by postcrash fire. The two certificated airline transport pilots were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the maintenance test flight, which was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to conduct a test of the autopilot and flight director systems on board the airplane, following a "cockpit modernization" their company had performed. The airplane completed the NDB/GPS RWY 27 instrument approach procedure and then circled to land on Runway 9. About 5 seconds into the landing rollout, a deer appeared from the wood line and ran into the path of the airplane. The deer struck the airplane at the leading edge of the left wing above the left main landing gear, and ruptured an adjacent fuel cell.

The pilot was able to maintain directional control, and the airplane was stopped on the runway, spilling fuel and on fire. The crew performed an emergency shutdown of the airplane and egressed without injury.Greenwood County Airport did not have a fire station co-located on the airport facility. The fixed base operator called 911 at the time of the accident, and the fire trucks arrived approximately 10 minutes after notification.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. His most recent Federal AviationAdministartion (FAA) first-class medical certificate was issued on March 12, 2012. The pilot reported 11,592 total hours of flight experience, of which 903 hours were in the accident airplane make and model.

The copilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on June 11, 2012. The pilot reported 4,501 total hours of flight experience, of which 13 hours were in the accident airplane make and model.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The airplane was manufactured in 1991, and its most recent Approved Aircraft Inspection Program (AAIP) inspection was completed November 16, 2012, at 8,611 total aircraft hours.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 1156, the weather reported at GRD included clear skies, 10 miles of visibility, and winds from 030 degrees at 10 knots. The temperature was 13 degrees C and the dew point was -3 degrees C.

WRECKAGE INFORMATION

Following the accident, the crew provided photographs of the intact airplane spilling fuel and on fire, the fire-consumed airplane wreckage after the fire was extinguished, and the remains of the deer.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

In a telephone interview, the manager of the Greenwood County Airport explained that Greenwood was not an FAR Part 139 Airport, and while there was no published Wildlife Management Program for the airport, she had been very proactive about eradicating wildlife that could pose a hazard to safety on the airport property, primarily deer and wild turkey. She contacted the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for guidance and advice and she attended a wildlife management course. Among the suggestions offered by the USDA, was to remove the deer habitat. The manager proposed adding the area between the runway and taxiway to an approach clearing project in order to reduce the habitat. The manager worked with a local charity and local hunters with depredation permits to take deer on the airport property, and their efforts averaged 50 deer a year. The hunts were conducted in stands away from runways and on property not aviation related. The nearest deer stand was 1 mile from the runway, and the hunters fired only shotguns. The hunts were conducted between the hours of 0700 and 1000. On the morning of the accident, the last shot was fired at 0930.When asked why the hunters were still on the property at the time of the accident, the manager said they had stayed to eat lunch, and repeated that the hunt was long over and that the last shot was fired hours before the accident. She offered that the deer struck by the airplane was probably flushed from the woods by another deer or a coyote, whose population has also grown in recent years.After the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration contacted the state and had the Greenwood County Airport added to a list of airports where funding for improvements had been allotted. A second 10-foot perimeter fence was added around the existing 6-foot fence, and since its construction only 4 deer have been taken inside the perimeter, and no wild turkeys have been sighted.

NTSB Probable Cause

Collision with a deer during the landing roll, which resulted in a compromised fuel tank and a postimpact fire.