Piper PA-28-161 accident near Valkaria, Florida, October 19, 2004
On October 19, 2004 at about 12:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N607FT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Valkaria, Florida (Valkaria airport). 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 inadvertent collision with a deer during takeoff which resulted in damage to the right brake system and the airplane being unable to stop prior to the end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 2004 · about 12:20 pm local time
- Place
- Valkaria, Florida · Valkaria · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N607FT · registry record · serial 2841215
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was in the takeoff portion of the third touch-and-go, when a deer ran out from the infield and struck the right side of the airplane wing root area. He reduced engine power to idle and applied the brakes but the right brakes had failed. The airplane veered off the runway and came to stop at the departure end of runway 9 in the grass.
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
- Flight time: 234 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MLB Melbourne FL
- Destination: X59 Valkaria FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from MLB
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 N607FT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.