VIDEO: Plane strikes deer on Kodiak runway, grounds Alaska Airlines flights

KODIAK, Alaska (KTUU) - An Alaska Airlines flight hit two deer while landing at Kodiak Airport on Thursday morning, damaging the aircraft’s landing gear but causing no injuries, according to Tim Thompson, a spokesperson for the airline.

Content Warning: The video in this article contains content that some viewers might find disturbing. Watch at your own risk.

The jet, a Boeing 737, was landing at approximately 8 a.m. Thursday when it encountered the deer during rollout. The plane was able to safely taxi to the terminal.

Thompson confirmed that all flights had resumed as of Friday morning.

Video captured by Erin Edwards from nearby Beacon Hill show the plane’s touchdown on the tarmac, seconds before colliding with the group of deer, which were crossing the runway at the same time.

Beacon Hill is a popular spot near the Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport for watching planes land and take off from the airport runway, Edwards explained.

Edwards’ husband Graham said filming friends and family’s flights landing is something he and his wife often enjoy doing.

But out of all the times they’ve filmed various flights, the footage from this particular flight on Thursday morning captured a little more than they were expecting — and a little more than they were even first aware of.

Graham said at the time they were filming, they had no idea the deer were on the runway at all.

It wasn’t until they were sitting inside the terminal waiting for Graham’s sister Victoria and her family to get off the plane when they heard the announcement of an animal strike.

“We just thought, ‘Ah it must have been a bird,’” Graham Edwards said. “And then we started overhearing it was a deer and I thought, ‘Well, let me look.’ And we played the video back, and holy smokes, there it is, man! Just right in front of her face!”

A total of three deer reportedly crossed onto the runway, with only one walking away to tell the tale.

Erin said that despite the deer not initially being seen, to some extent, they still were heard.

“There was a noise outside, we even heard it,” Erin Edwards said. “We just thought it was maybe the landing gear or something like that that we hadn’t heard before.”

As for what things were like on the plane, Victoria and Ryan Walton were visiting Kodiak with their son and daughter for the first time. They described the landing that day as being especially abrupt, leaving them to wonder if maybe the Kodiak Airport’s runway was just shorter than most.

But after hearing some locals sitting next to them explain how that wasn’t the case, they knew something else must have happened. Much like Graham and Erin, it wasn’t until they were inside the terminal that they heard the official news.

“Our kids definitely learned that a seatbelt will keep you safe,” Victoria Walton said. “My daughter was a little scared, but it was one of her first flights. She’s been to Alaska before, but it was seven years ago.

“She was a little scared as to what happened but, I mean, for the most part, they’re okay. Again, they learned seatbelts definitely keep them safe.”

Graham gave a shoutout to the Alaska Airlines pilots by saying they handled the situation flawlessly.

And being the avid outdoorsman that he is, Graham couldn’t help but even throw in a little hunting humor for good measure.

“They filled their tag before they touched the ground,” Graham said.

No passengers or employees were hurt, but the collision caused damage to the plane’s landing gear, which will require repairs in Kodiak, Thompson said.

As a result, all passenger flights to and from Kodiak were canceled Thursday. The airline says passengers are being rebooked.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate our guests’ understanding and patience,” Thompson wrote.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new video.

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