A private jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Florida. This came after hitting multiple deer while taking off. It turns out the animals aren't only a hazard to vehicles.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced in a notice that the deer damaged the aircraft, forcing the jet to make an emergency landing. The incident happened on February 10 at North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport. The aircraft was a Cessna Citation. It was in the process of taking off when the incident happened.
It read, "A Cessna Citation struck multiple deer while taking off from North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport around 7:55 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The aircraft landed safely at Palm Beach International Airport. The FAA will investigate." The FAA did not reveal how many deer were struck by the aircraft.
Struck Several Deer
However, a report by the Aviation Safety Network revealed that there were seven people on board. It read, "The aircraft diverted to Palm Beach International Airport (PBI/KPBI), West Palm Beach, and landed safely. Nor reported injuries and the aircraft received minor damage."
It's not the first time that something like this has happened. In fact, between 1990 to 2024, 656 species of birds, 57 species of terrestrial mammals, 52 species of bats, and 45 species of reptiles have caused aircraft incidents. Still, despite this statistic, it's a really rare thing to happen. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
"It is an extremely, extremely rare event, like getting hit by lightning or getting bit by a shark. It's not something that happens," local pilot Michael Leighton told the outlet. "You could fly your whole life, your entire life. I've got 16,000 flight hours, that's two full years off the surface of the Earth, and I've never hit an animal with an airplane. Can it happen? Sure. Is it likely to happen? Probably not."
