The Aspiring Pilot

FAA eases reporting of lasers being shined into cockpits

As the number of dangerous laser incidents around the country continues to rise, the FAA has rolled out a new website to make it easier for pilots and the public to report laser incidents. The website also includes a knowledge base of articles and information on the subject, highlighting the dangers of shining a laser at the cockpit of any aircraft. 

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said that the 'safety of the traveling public is our absolute number-one priority. We will do everything we can to get the word out about how dangerous it is to point a laser at an aircraft. These incidents must stop.'

The website, http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety/report/laserinfo/, contains a collection of a wide array of laser information, links to reporting laser incidents, laser statistics, FAA press releases and FAA and industry research on the dangers these laser events pose to pilots. The site even includes downloadable videos. 

Read the rest of my article here. 

Now, this is definitely a good thing, but will it really do anything to decrease the number of incidents? Initially, I think it will make the numbers continue to increase, easier reporting means more incidents brought to the attention of the FAA. It won't necessarily mean there were more actual incidents, just more reported to be included in the stats. 

I forwarded the article to the ORD Airport Watch group as well, so they know how to report anything they may see. Who better to spot and report something like this than airplane spotters in and around the areas/villages surrounding the airport?! In cooperation with the Bensenville Police and area municipalites the ORD Airport Watch has already been a great addition to anti-crime in the area and provides a way for airplane geeks like myself to enjoy watching and photographing planes without the hassle that used to come from the police. 

Now, with an easy way to notify the FAA, we can easily report any suspicious activity or incidents that appear to involve lasers and airplanes. I've been 'lazed' on the ground once, while at a supermarket by a bunch of kids in the parking lot, and I will vouch that it really was uncomfortable and definitely effected my eyesight for at least 5 minutes. 

That's the main issue though here is that I think the majority of these incidents are just that, KIDS. These laser pointers are easy to get, and the more powerful ones are getting cheaper. I will bet that the majority of these kids don't really realize just how dangerous their actions are! It will eventually lead to an incident/accident and, I'm sure they won't be prepared for the onslaught of criminal charges and civil lawsuits that they'd face. 

I think it may be time to not only get the mainstream media to focus more on the dangers of the laser incidents (not just that they're occuring) but also look at having the aviation organizations like AOPA, EAA, ALPA, the airlines, etc. come together and get something into the schools to bring the actual dangers forth. It won't stop it, but I'm sure it will lead to a decrease in some of the events at least.

A look into the ANA 737 roll event and possibly how it happened

As has been plastered all over the main stream media sights, an ANA Boeing 737-700 travelling from Okinawa to Tokyo had an inflight 'upset' that resulted in two flight attendants being injured and a few passengers complaints. The incident itself took place on September 6th but wasn't brought to the airlines attention until the next day and was just recently reported to the public this weekend. 

What happened was that the pilot of the airplane left the cockpit to utilize the lavatory. The co-pilot was in command and secured the door per safety requirements. When the captain tried to re-enter the flight deck and the first officer reached for the door lock controls, it appears that he accidentally turned the wrong knob. This caused the plane to eventually enter a descending roll. According to reports the plane descended 6,200 feet in less than 30 seconds and rolled 130 degrees, or 50 degrees short of being fully inverted.  The Japan Transport Safety Board released a computer animation of the event and can be watched (.wmv file) here. (http://www.mlit.go.jp/jtsb/video/JA16AN-movie1.wmv)

The first officer and captain were able to regain control of the airplane and continue the rest of the flight uneventfully (though I'm sure there was some interesting conversation on the flight deck after that as well as in the cabin.) The pilot was reported to be near or at 60 years of age with over 16,000 hours of flight time and the first officer was 38 years old with 2,400 hours of flight time. 

Now, how could this happen? If you look at the cockpit layout of the 737-700, the Flight Deck Lock knob and the Rudder Trim knob are located in the same section, and one right above the other. They ARE different sizes; however, if not really paying attention and reaching over blindly, you can see how they MAY be mistaken. I have added the following picture of a KLM 737-700 cockpit for reference. The two knobs are located at the bottom of the center console, in the middle. You can see the words, 'Flt Dk Door' above the bottom one that controls the lock on the door.  I've included the link to the photo at Airliners.net so you can see the large version and the respective switches more easily. 

Click Here to view the photo (click on large for full detail) 

Another photo from a different airlines B737-700 shows the same knobs, but in a different location: 

Click Here to view the photo.  

Some closer pics of the same knobs, but on older models of the Boeing 737 when the knobs were actually a little farther apart. You can see they are still they same design in regards to shape and size.  

Now, watching the video animation of the actual movement of the airplane, I'm still having a bit a trouble visualizing this ONLY being a rudder trim issue, and I've spoken with two Boeing 737 pilots for other airlines and it seems there had to be more at play. Both knobs are twist and hold, with a spring-return mechanism. So once you release, the knob should return to the neutral position. If this is accurate, than the first officer had to twist and hold the rudder control knob long enough to cause a significant enough trim move that the autopilot disconnected. If you watch the animation video, it seems like the plane started some motion to the right, compensated back to straight and level, and then snapped into the left roll and dive. 

Now, this is ONLY my assumption and speculation, it would appear that the pilot probably reached over blindly to open the flight deck door. He accidentally twisted and held the rudder trim, and continued to hold it as the captain tried to open the door. The autopilot tried to compensate, resulting in the initial correction to back left as shown in the animation. Once the deflection in the trim caused enough motion, the autopilot disengaged, allowing the plane to snap into the roll/dive. It's amazing the pilot (not sure if the captain was back on the flight deck by that point) recovered in less than 30 seconds. Remember, this occurred at 1030 PM local time, and apparently over water, which could easily lead to further spatial disorientation. (The darkness and lack of ground reference could be why the initial yaw was not noted by visual cues outside the windows.)

The cause could be a combination of any factor, but fatigue (given the late hour of the flight) as well as even complacency that resulted in the pilot simply reaching over blindly to activate the door lock knob. 

As for what happened behind the flight deck, the articles in other media have quoted the safety board as saying that the forces resulting from the roll and concurrent dive would actually have resulted in the passengers not feeling the full effects of a 12,000 FPM drop or 130 degree inversion. At first I was a little hesitant to believe it, but this is actually plausible as only two flight attendants suffered minor injuries and a couple of passengers complained of 'feeling strange' (you think?!). 

I hope that the safety board releases a detailed report, with CVR and FDR transcripts to see exactly WHAT occurred aboard the flight that night. It's should be utilized as a great learning experience not only for the pilot's involved or ANA pilots, but all pilot's in any airplane. 

Remember, the Air France Flight 447 was allegedly a result of pilot error resulting from spatial disorientation after the autopilot shut off following erroneous instrument readings. (Not saying this is related at ALL, but shows the need for pilots to always be aware of all circumstances surrounding the flight at each moment.) 

If you are a B737, please provide your comments, opinions and thoughts below. I would love to have more first hand accounts on this issue. 

AP reporter notifies pilot's family after Oshkosh area crash?!

UPDATE - The airplane was identified as well as the pilot and passenger and it came out that the original identification 'made' by the AP reporter was completely incorrect. The plane was NOT the one they thought it was and was not in any way realted to Mr. Wood as originally mentioned below. So not only did they jump the gun and risk being the ones to notify a family of a fatal wreck, but they misindentified the airplane and possible pilot and probably gave a family an unnecessary scare. 

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Okay, I'll leave the actual reporting of the incident to the media that has more details; however, to summarize, a Piper Cub departed Oshkosh (Airventure is this week) this morning and attempted an emergency landing in Lake Winnebago. The plane flipped and sunk, killing both occupants before the dive teams could rescue them. 

Now, I have a HUGE issue with the way this story is playing out in the media, particularly the stories being run via the Associated Press (AP) information. It appears that the AP obtained the tail number, or somehow identified the aircraft involved. They then were able to check, I'm assuming via the FAA airplane N-number database, who the plane was registered to. Here's the part of the story I am absolutely astounded by:

The single-engine Piper Cub is registered to Kenneth Wood of Mt. Carmel, Ill. A man who answered the phone at Wood's home and identified himself as one of Wood's sons told The Associated Press that his brother, William Wood, had been flying. But he says the 28-year-old William had already landed in Oshkosh and posted pictures.

Based on the son's response to the report, it's almost very obvious that the family was NOT AWARE of the accident involving their father's airplane! The AP reporter essentially was the one's to notify them that it's probably that one of Kenneth Wood's son's perished in the plane. (A male and female were both recovered from the crash site.) Writing on General Aviation news at Examiner.com, I would NEVER contact the family of someone that was possibly involved in a fatal incident until I KNEW 100% they've been informed by the proper authorities first. 

Remember, there is no-way the family will not figure out that their loved one is most likely dead. He landed 'safely' at Oshkosh, true, but that was yesterday and the accident occured this morning. I can't imagine the uncertainty, stress and fear that accompanied the family members as they tried to contact their family at Airventure to ensure their safety after the reporters calls? 

I guess that's one problem with the FAA Databases being public, (knowing the names and cities, we can even now pull up the pilot's certification information as well!) It's a great tool for research, but this shows that it can be abused, with negative consequences. 

Please feel free to comment on here, actually I highly encourage it. I understand the reporter didn't do anything illegal and was within his right to obtain the information and 'inquire' with the family, but do you think he crossed the line by calling the families of someone that may have been killed in an accident PRIOR to proper notification? 

 

Liberty Foundation statement on loss of the Liberty Belle

The Liberty Foundation posted the following statement on their website regarding the emergency landing and subsequent loss of the Liberty Belle:

 

Statement from Liberty Foundation Chief Pilot:

June 14, 2011 - First, let me start off by sincerely thanking everyone for the outpouring of support that we are receiving. I am sorry that I have not yet had the opportunity to return the many phone calls, text or e-mails that I am receiving offering to help. Again, thank you for all of the kind words that we are receiving and for incredible offers to help emotionally, financially and/or with the recovery process. I hope this statement will help fill in a few details that everyone is wondering about that led to the loss of our “Liberty Belle”.

Yesterday (June 13, 2011) morning, both our P-40 and B-17 were scheduled to fly from Aurora, Illinois to Indianapolis, Indiana. We were in Aurora for the weekend as a part of our scheduled tour. Over the course of the previous week, we completed a scheduled 25-hour inspection on the B-17 which was completed by Saturday. On Saturday, the weather stayed below the required ceiling to give any passenger flights, however the B-17 flew in the morning on a routine training proficiency flight, performing several patterns. Following the flight, other maintenance issues arose that required us to cancel our Sunday flying schedule for repairs. The maintenance performed has not been, in any way, associated to the chain of events that led to Monday’s fateful flight, but is being considered in the preliminary investigation. However, due to the media’s sensational (mis)reporting, there is a large amount of misinformation that continues to lead the news.

Here is what we do know… Flying in the left seat of the B-17 was Capt. John Hess. John has been flying our Liberty Belle since 2005 and one of our most experienced B-17 pilots. He is an active Delta Air Lines Captain with over 14,000 hours of flying experience and flys a variety of vintage WWII aircraft. In the right seat was Bud Sittic. While Bud is new to the Liberty Foundation this year, he is also incredibly experienced with over 14,000 hours of flying time in vintage and hi-performance aircraft. He is a retired Captain with Delta Air Lines.

The news misidentified the P-40 as flying chase during the accident. I was flying our P-40, however I had departed 20 minutes prior to the B-17’s takeoff on the short flight to Indianapolis to setup for the B-17’s arrival. The aircraft flying chase was a T-6 Texan flown by owner Cullen Underwood. Cullen is one of our rated B-17 Captains and an experienced aviator tagging along as a support ship.

The takeoff of both aircraft was uneventful and proceeded on-course southeast. Prior to exiting Aurora’s airport traffic area, the B-17 crew and passengers began investigating an acrid smell and started a turn back to the airport. Almost immediately thereafter, Cullen spotted flames coming from the left wing and reported over the radio that they were on fire.



As all pilots know, there are few emergency situations that are more critical than having an in-flight fire. While an in-flight fire is extremely rare, it can (and sometimes does) indiscriminately affect aircraft of any age or type. In-flight fires have led to the loss of not only aircraft, but often can result in catastrophic loss of life. It requires an immediate action on the flight crew, as the integrity of aircraft structure, systems and critical components are in question.

Directly below the B-17 was a farmer’s field and the decision was made to land immediately. Approximately 1 minute and 40 seconds from the radio report of the fire, the B-17 was down safely on the field. Within that 1:40 time frame, the crew shutdown and feathered the number 2 engine, activated the engine’s fire suppression system, lowered the landing gear and performed an on-speed landing. Bringing the B-17 to a quick stop, the crew and passengers quickly and safely exited the aircraft. Overhead in the T-6, Cullen professionally coordinated and directed the firefighting equipment which was dispatched by Aurora Tower to the landing location.

Unlike the sensational photos that you have all seen of the completely burned B-17 on the news, you will see from photos taken by our crew that our Liberty Belle was undamaged by the forced landing and at the time of landing, the wing fire damage was relatively small. The crew actually unloaded bags, then had the horrible task of watching the aircraft slowly burn while waiting for the fire trucks to arrive. There were high hopes that the fire would be extinguished quickly and the damage would be repairable. Those hopes were diminished as the fire trucks deemed the field too soft to cross due to the area’s recent rainfall. So while standing by our burning B-17 and watching the fire trucks parked at the field’s edge, they sadly watched the wing fire spread to the aircraft’s fuel cells and of course, you all have seen the end result. There is no doubt that had the fire equipment been able to reach our aircraft, the fire would have been quickly extinguished and our Liberty Belle would have been repaired to continue her worthwhile mission.

Let me go on the record by thanking the flight crew for their professionalism. Their actions were nothing short of heroic and their quick thinking, actions and experience led to a “successful” outcome to this serious in-flight emergency. John and Bud (and Cullen) did a remarkable job under extreme circumstances and performed spectacularly. While the leading news stories have repeatedly reported the “crash” of our B-17, fact is they made a successful forced landing and the aircraft was ultimately consumed by fire. Airplanes are replaceable but people are not and while the aircraft’s loss is tragic, it was a successful result.

This leads me into discussing the exceptional safety record of the Boeing B-17 and to hopefully squash the naysayers who preach we should not be flying these types of aircraft. Since we first flew the “Liberty Belle” in December of 2004, we have flown over 20,000 passengers throughout the country and if you count our historic trip to Europe in 2008, worldwide. Of the other touring B-17s, some of which that have been touring for over 20 years, they have safely flown hundreds of thousands of people. The aircraft’s safety record is spectacular and I am certain the overall cause of our issue, which is under investigation, will not tarnish that safety record. In fact, as many of you know, other B-17 have suffered significant damage (although not as bad as ours!), only to be re-built to fly again. From a passenger carrying standpoint, I can think of few aircraft that offer the same level of safety as the 4-engine “Flying Fortress”. As mentioned earlier, in-flight fires are extremely rare and certainly could affect any powered aircraft under certain circumstances. I would put my children today in any of the other touring B-17s to go fly. I suggest to anyone that was thinking of doing so when a B-17 visits your area to do so without giving our loss any thought.

There is wild speculation going on as to the cause of our fire and the affect to other operators. Please let the investigation run its course and report the findings. The NTSB and FAA were quickly on the scene and we are working closely with them to aid in the investigation. As soon as we receive some additional information, we will release it via the website.

The ultimate question remains, where does the Liberty Foundation go from here? After the investigation and recovery, we will determine our options. We are still committed to the restoration and flying of World War II aircraft. Again, we appreciate the support and people offering to help get us back flying.

Please check back for updates. I will close by thanking everyone that made our tour so successful. From the first day of the B-17’s restoration, thank you for all of you who labored to get her flying over the initial restoration years and to everyone that has worked on her out on tour since. Thank you to the crewmembers, tour coordinators and volunteers who gave up weekends and countless hours to support her on the road. And finally, thank you to the passengers, donors and media patrons that flew aboard and everyone who supported our cause. Hopefully, this will not be the end of the story, but a new beginning.

Regards,
Ray Fowler
The Liberty Foundation, Chief Pilot

 

Liberty Belle's final mission. The Liberty Foundation's B-17 Flying Fortress

(expansion on my Chicago General Aviation Examiner article from this morning)

This morning, the Liberty Foundation's famous and historic B-17 'Flying Fortress' flew her final mission. It wasn't over a WWII frontline, or during one of it's many charity flights around the United States. The grand lady flew her final mission over the suburbs of Chicago. On a ferry flight, from Aurora Municipal Airport to Indianapolis, the #2 engine caught fire.

photo: Chicago Tribune

A few minutes after departure, as the plane climbed out of ARR, near the town of Oswego, a local T-6 Texan pilot that was escorting her away gave a call over the radio that indicated severe trouble. 'You're on fire!' was the radio call picked up by controllers at ARR. The controller didn't know who made the call or who was on fire. The expected 'Who's on fire' was the ATC response. For the next minute or two, repeated calls of 'You're on fire!' are heard. Then, 'You're on Fire, Get her on the ground!' over and over. Finally, ATC figured it out and you hear 'Whose on fire, is it the Fortress?'. The T6's pilot gives a single word response, 'Affirm.' Shortly after, she asks, 'Is the Fortress on the ground?' and then confirms the B-17 landed about 2 miles southeast of the airport with the yellow T6 circling overhead. He remained there so that the emergency responders would know where to respond to.  Audio link below is from LiveATC.net.

 

N390TH_fire

 

photo: Chicago Tribune

The pictures show the pilot made a successful emergency landing in the field with no damage to the aircraft. The engine was still on fire however and it quickly intensified. The fire spread to the fuselage and eventually destroyed the aircraft. The engine was shutdown in flight as you can see the propeller's of the number 2 engine are in the feathered position. 

The aircraft did have a oil leak earlier in the week; however, the problem was said to have been repaired. The first picture above however, almost appears to have the signature of a cascade effect in the fire. That is almost indicative of a decent descending flow of flammable material. It's possible it may have been a fuel leak in the number 2 engine which is why the flame consumed the aircraft so quickly. A video of that specific moment would be much more telling. A NTSB reports, even the preliminary one should shed some light as to what the indications were to the crew inside. 

I'm trying to get in touch with the Liberty Foundation to do an article on Liberty Belle as a tribute (obituary/eulogy) to highly her history and milestones in her storied life. If anyone can help (I'm sure my email is buried as one of hundreds from media outlets around the country)

 

 

RIP Amanda Franklin - passed 5/27 after March Air Show crash

This is a tough one for the aviation community. I'll just let my article do the speaking: 

 

Kyle Franklin, of Franklin's Flying Circus and Airshow, announced last night that his wife and team partner, Amanda, passed away at 10:10 pm Friday night. Amanda had been hospitalized at the Brooke Army Medical Center since the March 12th accident where the airplane she was wing-walking crashed and caught fire after an engine failure. Amanda suffered third degree burns to over 70% of her body along with multiple bone fractures. Kyle was also hospitalized and released March 28th to receive outpatient care and still faces a long rehabilitation. They have been performing their wing-walking act since the summer of 2009.

Through the difficult time, Kyle kept fans and friends updated with daily notes on the team's Facebook Page. On May 26th, Kyle made a post about having just made the difficult decision to remove Amanda from life-support and provide 'comfort care.' Doctor's had informed Kyle and the family that they did not believe that Amanda would survive the two weeks until her next skin graft surgery. Amanda was suffering from multiple infections of her burn injuries which were not responding to the antibiotic treatment, near complete failure of her kidneys and her liver was beginning to fail as well. 

In the May 26th note, Kyle stated, 'I made the hardest decision of my life today and put her on Comfort Care. They have taken her off most everything with the exception of the ventilator, sedation meds and pain meds. They placed her in a more comfortable position and are doing everything to make her as comfortable as possible... Amanda my love, I love you with all my heart, soul and everything I am. Our life together here was supposed to be seventy years not seven, but I look forward to seeing you in my dreams every night my love.'

On May 27th, Kyle posted the update following update to the team's fans, 'It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my beautiful girl Amanda passed away at 10:10 central time this evening. Beside her was her adoring husband Kyle, her mother Jeanie, her brother Matt, her sister-in-law Michelle and her devoted mother-in-law Audean.'

Continue reading for more as well as for Fundraisers to help Kyle with the mounting HUGE medical expenses on Examiner.com Amanda Franklin succumbs to injuries suffered in March air show crash - National General Aviation | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/general-aviation-in-national/amanda-franklin-succumbs-to-injuries-suffered-march-air-show-crash#ixzz1Nfz4GPZX

 

Close call at O'Hare, media hops on fact it occurred shortly after Air Force Two arrival

Again, there was another ATC error on Monday (this time at KORD, O'Hare), and even though it DIDN'T involve Air Force Two, the mainstream media had to include it in the story. Air Force Two's mention seems almost to add sensationalism, as some news organizations then reference the close call with Michelle Obama's plane a few weeks back. 

In this instance, Air Force Two wasn't part of the reason for the close call; however, the increased traffic congestion as a result led to a much higher workload and may have led to the lapse.  Just prior to the incident, traffic began to back up as departures and arrivals were held during the landing of Air Force Two. Then, controllers had to deal with the helicopters hovering over, then escorting the vice-president's motorcade to downtown, off the departure paths for the East/West runways. 

The incident had an ExpressJet flight departing 32L with a Skywest flight cleared for landing on 9R. (View .pdf of the ORD Airport Diagram here.) You can see that the approach end 9R is just east of the midpoint of 32L.  So a regional jet departing on 32L will lift off across the path of any incoming aircraft into 9R, which is what happened in this instance.

The controller handling the arrival saw the conflict as an alert sounded notifying them of the loss of separation. That controller proceeded to immediately order the Skywest flight to go-around. Some news reports have stated the distance was less than 300' vertical and 200' horizontal between the two aircraft. 

You can't hear the go-around call, but you can hear one controller notify the secret service helicopter ('Hunstman 1') of the plane going on a missed approach and then clearing the departing Skywest jet to 4,000', (Skywest 6958). Audio courtest of LiveATC.net. 

KORD-Twr-May-16-2011-1430Z_edit

The departing ExpressJet flight is believed to have delayed it's rotation off the runway due to seeing the approaching aircraft about to cross the runway which possibly helped to avoid a collision as well.  

According to reports, a few choice words were issued by the departing pilot, and the controller apologized for the error.  The Skywest flight made a second approach without incident after being vectored back around for a landing. 

Also, reports are the the controller in error was also just recently certified, with some reports saying as recently as 2 weeks ago. There will obviously be discussions on if such a new controller should have been at the scope during such a hectic, busy, time as a VIP arrival at a peak traffic period for ORD. 

Finally, some people have called for the FAA to increase the required separation between landing aircraft on 9R, when 32L is in use for departures , to 10 miles, to allow ATC more time to get planes spaced for landings and takeoff and avoid close calls such as this. So far, nothing has come of this, but we'll have to wait and see how the new and additional runways play into the mix once the O'Hare modernization program is complete in a few years. 

Anyway, just another close call, another ATC PR issue in the public eye and another story sensationalized further by the media by bringing Air Force Two, a plane not involved in the incident, into the story.  Further proof as well of the need for the new runway's and configuration at O'Hare to limit the number of operations that cross as they do in these instances. 

Chicago storms wreak havoc at O'Hare, destroy planes at Dupage

After an evening of warnings to prepare for what was expected to be one of the worst storms in the last 70 years, the system moved in overnight, intensifying near the start of rush hour.  The storm started with moderate winds and gusts overnight, with the light rain moving in prior to a squall line forming and tearing through Chicago.  There are unconfirmed reports of tornado's in Will County and possibly Kane County as well as Wisconsin and along the Illinois/Indiana border.  

O'Hare International Airport (ORD) experienced a complete ground stop of both departing and arriving flights and, once operations resumed, most airplanes were still unable to land.  Winds at one point were reported from the southwest at 50mph sustained, gusting to over 65 mph. This resulted in planes diverting to other area airports such as Madison (MSN), where the winds were more favorable and better aligned with the operating runways. If planning any flights on airlines today, please check with your carrier as the delays, cancellations and diversions can effect operations across the country resulting in significant delays or additional cancellations. 

At DuPage County Airport (DPA) in West Chicago, the storm destroyed 3 airplanes as it passed through. 

For full story and details, see my Chicago General Aviation article. 

Plane stolen, authorities ask for help in locating it

Photo of the missing Cessna 150D, N43ED

Photo: Steuben County Sheriff's Office

The Steuben County Sheriff's Office is seeking the publics help in locating a single engine Cessna that has been reported stolen from the local airport.  The AOPA has also published the information on it's website in an effort to enlist it's hundreds of thousands of pilot's in locating the airplane.  

For full story and contact info, see the news article at General Aviation Examiner here. 

 

We all know of Deer vs. Car, but Deer vs Airplane?

Well, it happened again, the first time I heard about this was here in Chicago.  Now it appears it's occurred in Titusville, FL.  Guess there is another thing to pay attention for when we're flying.  

Last night, an airplane on it's takeoff roll hit a deer on the runway, resulting in damaged left landing gear.  The plane was able to land without injuries to any of the passengers or pilot.  

However, how often does something like this happen?  We all know of bird strikes, I've turtle strikes on the runway during my training (those will blow your tires out from the broken shells piercing the tire) but deer?  Crazy

Insert your venison and bambi jokes below... 

For the full article, along with a description of the Chicago incident, visit my Chicago General Aviation Examiner article.