Piper PA-32RT-200 accident near Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, April 30, 2000
On April 30, 2000 at about 1:30 am local time, a Piper PA-32RT-200, registered N9385C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airplane collision with a deer during a night landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 2000 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-200 PA-32RT-20 · all PA-32RT-200s on the register
- Registration
- N9385C · registry record · serial 32R-7885046
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot arrived at the destination airport and established a traffic pattern for a night landing on runway 17. The pilot completed the before landing check which included turning on the landing light. According to the pilot, the airplane was approximately 2500 feet down the runway on the landing roll when a deer was observed on the runway. As the airplane continued the landing roll-out, the right propeller struck the deer. After the airplane struck the deer, the right main landing gear collapsed. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 303 hours in all; 188 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 249 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,785 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 17, 2000; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RYY Kennasaw GA at 11:00 pm
- Destination: 8S5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from CHS, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N9385C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL00LA053.