Deer Strike @ KFME - need some help

[mschmuff]

Hello Everyone - Sad to say but the Mooney took a beating last night from a 6 point buck!!

I had just landed by myself at 810pm, was slowed down enough to make the turn off when it came running at me.

It hit the prop from the right side, hit the right side of the cowling then the wing and landing gear.

 

I have to say it was probably the scariest thing I have experienced in my aviation career.  I tried to swerve left to avoid it but wasn't gonna put the plane in a ditch.

 

Has anyone had to deal with the insurance companies on something like this?  I am providing all of my info, certs, log books, photos, etc.  What should I expect?  I am in Maryland - where should I get the work done?  

[Glenn]

For the deer:  

 

Creative Concepts Taxidermy

7194 Montevideo Rd, Jessup, MD 20794 

(410) 799-1558

 

For the Mooney:

Freeway Airport (WØØ)  is a Mooney Service Center.

3900 Church Rd.

Bowie/Mitchellville, MD 2072

 

http://www.freewayaviation.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rbridges]

man, that sucks.  It shouldn't be an issue.  I just hope that doesn't raise your rates.  It's obviously not pilot error, but I have zero experience with aviation insurance claims.

[Hank]

What bad luck! This happened to my wife's car last fall. Who is your insurance company and agent? Those are the important things, plus all the information & photos you can provide.

[mschmuff]

Ha Ha - Nice one Glenn!  The fire dept actually came and hosed the blood off of the runway.

I'm with QBE - through AOPA.  AOPA said they have received great feedback on them.

 

I'm being told this will be a full tear down inspection - does that mean I will have a zero time engine?  With all of the dents and scrapes will they cover new paint?  I hate being without my plane cause I fly it every week but if all of this stuff is covered.....I could be without it for a couple months!!

[jetdriven]

prop strike TDI is usually a teardown and inspection of the accessory gears per AD, and usually everything else gets a look at. I'd take a hard look at the cam and lifters while in there. If it all looks good, it goes back together with new bearings, rings, seals, snap rings, etc.  If the engine is close to TBO, overhaul it.  Insurance pays the cost of the inspection, about 7-8K on average.

[BigTex]

Ha Ha - Nice one Glenn! The fire dept actually came and hosed the blood off of the runway. I'm with QBE - through AOPA. AOPA said they have received great feedback on them. I'm being told this will be a full tear down inspection - does that mean I will have a zero time engine? With all of the dents and scrapes will they cover new paint? I hate being without my plane cause I fly it every week but if all of this stuff is covered.....I could be without it for a couple months!!

Call your insurance company and they'll send out an adjuster to look the plane over. They'll also ask that you get a couple of estimates for repairs. Scheduling an adjuster and obtaining repair quotes can be done in parallel.

[Glenn]

I think you should be able to negotiate the damaged parts and labor with your insurance company.  You will probably have to negotiate the price of any undamaged parts, that you want to replace with new, with the shop. Labor should be covered. If the engine is either factory new, or a factory reman, you may want to try to have it shipped back to Lycoming for the work.

[John Pleisse]

Mike...is it flyable? Freeway is the best bet.

[orionflt]

Ha Ha - Nice one Glenn!  The fire dept actually came and hosed the blood off of the runway.

I'm with QBE - through AOPA.  AOPA said they have received great feedback on them.

 

I'm being told this will be a full tear down inspection - does that mean I will have a zero time engine?  With all of the dents and scrapes will they cover new paint?  I hate being without my plane cause I fly it every week but if all of this stuff is covered.....I could be without it for a couple months!!

I just went thru the same type of thing with QBE, but mine was a hanger door beating up the front of my plane during a hurricane. (Still considered a prop strike). They were great, I delt with Bob Porter and had no problems at all even after finding more damage during the repair. They made an initial payment so I could get the work started and then cleared the balance with in hours of receiving the final bill. The only thing I had to pay for out of pocket was the cam that was found wearing when the engine was torn down.

[mschmuff]

It isn't close to TBO - 375hrs SMOH but it was a field overhaul done in 1993 I believe.  I'm not sure if it is flyable - I need to get someone to look at it ASAP.  I'm more worried about the gear doors than I am the cowling damage.

[1964-M20E]

Ouch!! that had to hurt but I guess the deer didn't feel it for long.

Sorry to hear about that but the good thing is it happen while taxing and not while flaring or just after touchdown.

 

Just guessing but being you were at very low power and RPM at the time any engine damage should be minimal.

 

 

Who got to keep the deer?  

[piperpainter]

I've hit a bird. Insurance took care of me. $15K dollar fix. If you can get a ferry permit then go to a service center. The Insurance company will pay. looks like a tear down. Id go for an overhaul, I mean pay $4K or pay $16 down the road! What about the prop? Is it damaged at all?

[N601RX]

Hopefully you have a low in motion deductible.  From what I have heard they will pro-rate the prop cost if a new one is required..

[Shadrach]

Yes, the technical term is betterment... I had a birdstrike that took out a glass landing light...no biggee, but the shards of glass did a number on the face of the prop and some of minor sheet metal damage. Plenty of meat on the blades, it just needed an OH to get rid of the gouges on the face of the prop. My prop was calendar timed out... The adjuster told me that they would not pay full price to overhaul a prop that was timed out... I tried to argue that this was a condition issue and that the prop was in great shape with less than 400hrs on it. They gave me $1000 toward the prop OH.

[orionflt]

It isn't close to TBO - 375hrs SMOH but it was a field overhaul done in 1993 I believe.  I'm not sure if it is flyable - I need to get someone to look at it ASAP.  I'm more worried about the gear doors than I am the cowling damage.

 

you will need a prop strike inspection before the faa will give you a ferry permit.

[AmigOne]

I've hit a bird. Insurance took care of me. $15K dollar fix. If you can get a ferry permit then go to a service center. The Insurance company will pay. looks like a tear down. Id go for an overhaul, I mean pay $4K or pay $16 down the road! What about the prop? Is it damaged at all?

There is an AD regarding prop strike and in all cases a teardown is required. The insurance companies have decided to bite the bullet on the cost and not face a potential liability. There is also a lot of stuff on the internet about prop strike/engine teardown, precisely about the difficult decision whether or not to go for an overhaul. My impression is the on an engine with only 375 SMOH it would not be advisable to go for the full overhaul. I also think that that the difference in cost would be greater than $12K. There is also no agreement to what a teardown does to the value of the airplane, some think that on a mid-time or more engine it is a plus if the airplanes is not used in commercial operations and can go past the factory recommended TBO. If the propeller is deemed to be repairable by the prop shop the insurance will pay for the full repair, including o/h of the governor. I believe that magnetos must also be overhauled, some recommend the same for the alternator.

And while on the subject of the propeller does anybody know what is latest on the Hartzell "scimitar" in terms of performance? Is the conversion worthwhile assuming that your old propeller has some resale value?

[Joe Zuffoletto]

No experience with this kind of thing so the best I can do is wish you luck.

 

FWIW, I love venison.... 

[jetdriven]

It isn't close to TBO - 375hrs SMOH but it was a field overhaul done in 1993 I believe. I'm not sure if it is flyable - I need to get someone to look at it ASAP. I'm more worried about the gear doors than I am the cowling damage.

you will need a prop strike inspection before the faa will give you a ferry permit.

The ad requires you to inspect the crankshaft gear in the accessory section. To ferry the airplane all you need to do is dial the prop flange on the crank and stick a loaner prop on it. You can do the TDI at the shop. The TDI is not required to ferry the airplane. If you can get a loaner prop, take it to the shop of your choosing.

If its a field overhaul in 1993 they are going to find stuff that quickly makes an overhaul look like the best option.

[mooniac15u]

man, that sucks.  It shouldn't be an issue.  I just hope that doesn't raise your rates.  It's obviously not pilot error, but I have zero experience with aviation insurance claims.

 

I had an incident that was not pilot error and my rates still went up.

[Shadrach]

There is an AD regarding prop strike and in all cases a teardown is required. The insurance companies have decided to bite the bullet on the cost and not face a potential liability. There is also a lot of stuff on the internet about prop strike/engine teardown, precisely about the difficult decision whether or not to go for an overhaul. My impression is the on an engine with only 375 SMOH it would not be advisable to go for the full overhaul. I also think that that the difference in cost would be greater than $12K. There is also no agreement to what a teardown does to the value of the airplane, some think that on a mid-time or more engine it is a plus if the airplanes is not used in commercial operations and can go past the factory recommended TBO. If the propeller is deemed to be repairable by the prop shop the insurance will pay for the full repair, including o/h of the governor. I believe that magnetos must also be overhauled, some recommend the same for the alternator.

And while on the subject of the propeller does anybody know what is latest on the Hartzell "scimitar" in terms of performance? Is the conversion worthwhile assuming that your old propeller has some resale value?

Your experience is different than mine. The prop in my situation (this was 2007) was caused by small bits of FOD from the landing light shattering. I know that there's been talk that if a running Lycoming hits a blade of grass or a butterfly in flight that a tear down is required. My insurance company and my MX did not see it that way. They saw a damaged light housing, light, gouged paint and a gouged prop face. Prop was timed out in calendar years only. Overhaul was $3700 IIRC, insurance gave me $1000 towards it. The word "betterment" came up several times in the conversation. It was the company's (AIG) policy not to pay to make the plane better than it was pre-incident. I was a bit irked, but at the end of the day we paid the other $2700 and moved on... I hope you're right and that they give him everything he wants...time will tell!

[carusoam]

I think the deer is responsible, so you can talk to his insurance company...

Or take it out of his hide...

Expect that insurance would pay to remove, inspect and repair. As applicable...

Watch for the limits of your coverage. If it is easier to call it totaled, they may offer to give you what they think it was worth...

This is where you remember what your agreed value was when getting the insurance...

If you did want to use the betterment route, you can take the money they offer, and then apply it to a new or factory reman engine.

A lot of decisions are coming your way.

Having an IO550 added would be cool!

Best regards,

-a-

[Marauder]

For the deer: Creative Concepts Taxidermy 7194 Montevideo Rd, Jessup, MD 20794 (410) 799-1558 For the Mooney: Freeway Airport (WØØ) is a Mooney Service Center. 3900 Church Rd. Bowie/Mitchellville, MD 2072 http://www.freewayaviation.com/ Unfortunately, the market for headless deer is small!

[Marauder]

Sorry to hear about this. I have deer running my airport all night long and I always fear this happening to me. Did you take its head off? Sure looks like that in the photo.

[aaronk25]

That few of hours in 20 years means you probably have a cam that won't make tbo and I bet the oil seals are almost due, so splitting the case on the insurance bill might be a blessing!