Unexpected Wildlife Management Forces Pilot’s Quick Thinking

Routine flight turns into an unexpected learning experience.

Wednesday, February 04, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

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The author says what should have been a routine landing turned into an unforgettable encounter. [Illustration: Joel Kimmel]

Key Takeaways:

The author, an experienced pilot, struck a deer during a routine landing at a rural, nontowered airport, causing significant damage to his newly acquired Beechcraft Bonanza.
The incident highlighted challenges with post-accident communication due to a critically low phone battery and the lack of readily accessible contact numbers for airport management.
Key operational lessons learned include the necessity of expanding runway scans for wildlife, particularly at rural airfields during active hours (dusk), and maintaining vigilance until the aircraft is fully secured.
The author also emphasized the importance of ensuring communication devices are fully charged and meticulously verifying the accuracy of aircraft insurance policy details.

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My background in aviation started when I was quite young, and my dad took me up in his new-to-him Cessna 150.

My dad and I didn’t connect on many things throughout my childhood, but I’ll always remember that first flight with him when it was just us, and he showed me the basics of flying an airplane. He’d point things out on the ground, but I couldn’t recognize them from the air. It didn’t matter though, because I was flying.