Primary finding
Probable cause
The airplane’s collision with a deer on the runway during landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The flight instructor and student pilot were completing stop-and-go landings at night at an uncontrolled airport. During the second landing, a deer collided with the left rear fuselage and the empennage, then the airplane yawed left. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and taxied off the runway without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer.