King Air Hits Deer During Landing at Canadian Airport

A Beechcraft King Air 350 struck a deer during its landing roll at Bella Bella/Campbell Island Airport (CBBC), British Columbia, on July 14, 2026, damaging the left engine, propeller, and wing structure, according to a preliminary occurrence report from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). None of the seven people aboard was injured. The investigation is ongoing.

A post-occurrence inspection identified damage to the left engine, its mount assembly, the propeller, and the cowling. Inspectors also found dents and buckling to the left nacelle, the wing’s leading edge, and both inboard and outboard flaps.

The aircraft had departed Red Deer Regional Airport (CYQF), Alberta, bound for CBBC. The accident was recorded at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time, and the TSB classified the occurrence as Class 5, which the agency has identified as having “little likelihood of identifying new safety lessons that will advance transportation safety…The investigation is limited to data gathering, and the data are recorded for statistical reporting and future analysis.” 

About 1,000 feet past the Runway 31 threshold, the pilot saw a deer approaching from the left side of the runway and responded by holding reverse thrust and braking hard; the deer struck the left propeller roughly 200 feet later.

The pilot reported feeling “extreme vibration on the left engine” after stopping. The pilot shut down the affected engine, taxied on the remaining engine, and radioed the traffic frequency to report the strike before the King Air was parked and powered down. The passengers exited normally.