Learjet Destroyed in Elk Strike; Occupants Escape

All four people in a Learjet 36A escaped injury after the jet collided with elk on takeoff and subsequently crashed after overrunning the runway at Astoria (Ore.) Regional Airport on December 3. N546PA was registered to CFF Air of Wilmington, Del., and was being operated in conjunction with a Canadian Armed Forces training exercise. The NTSB said that at or near V1 the airplane hit several elk on the runway. After the collision, the PIC applied brakes and deployed the drag chute, but the airplane continued off the departure end of Runway 8 and came to a stop in a marshy bog approximately 50 ft beyond the departure threshold. Impact forces and a post-crash fire destroyed the airplane.