APOPKA, Fla. — A pilot who spotted a deer on the runway while trying to land, then had mechanical trouble, crashed in nearby woods Sunday night, deputies said.
- Pilot hospitalized after crashing into woods at Apopka airport
- Man said he saw deer on runway, turned around, had mechanical trouble
- Sheriff's Office, FWC, police, 2 fire agencies responded to scene
James Donald Sickels, 59, was taken to Florida Hospital Apopka with nonlife-threatening injuries, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said Monday.
The man was coming in for a landing at Apopka Airport in a Cessna 400 just before 10 p.m. when he saw the deer on the runway, investigators said. He tried to turn around, but then experienced mechanical trouble and crashed in woods west of the airport.
In addition to Sheriff's Office units, officers with Apopka Police and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and firefighters from Apopka and Orange County responded to the scene.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.