An Alaska Airlines flight had an unexpected and unfortunate landing in Kodiak, Alaska on Thursday when it struck multiple deer on the runway. According to a report from CNN, the Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating the incident which caused damage to the aircraft and led to the cancellation of all other flights in and out of Kodiak for the day.
Flight 231, a Boeing 737, was arriving from Anchorage after a short 39-minute flight when it landed around 8 a.m. at Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport. During the landing rollout, at least two deer were crossing the runway. Alaska Airlines confirmed that the deer did not survive the impact.
An inspection following the incident revealed damage to the aircraft’s main landing gear. The aircraft remains in Kodiak and will require repairs before returning to service. A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines said passenger flights were canceled for the rest of Thursday and affected travelers were rebooked on other flights.
Audio recordings from LiveATC.net reveal the pilots saw the animals just before landing. “There is deer on the runway,” the pilot said after being cleared to land. When asked by the control tower about their location, the pilot replied, “The intersection.”
Crews temporarily closed the runway to clear the remains and confirmed at least two carcasses were found. Despite the strike, the aircraft was able to taxi and park safely. No passengers or crew were injured.
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 hit a few deer while landing at Kodiak Airport pic.twitter.com/7cYX8aUTlQ
— Planesanity (@planesanity) July 25, 2025
Video (embedded above) of the landing has surfaced online and at the 21-second mark you can just barely see the moment of impact from a distance. A few blurry images of the deer appear in the middle of the runway as the plane touches down.
An airport worker was heard on the radio saying, “The pilots need to come down and look at this if you can just give them a shout and they can come.”
Although unusual, wildlife strikes are not rare. According to FAA data, there were more than 22,000 reported wildlife strikes at US airports last year. Kodiak Airport itself reported five strikes in 2023, all involving birds including two bald eagles.
Deer strikes, while less common than bird strikes, still occur regularly. Last year, deer were involved in more than two dozen collisions with aircraft across the country. Other animals struck by planes in 2024 include alligators in Florida, a mongoose in Hawaii, a badger in North Dakota and various coyotes, bats, skunks and opossums.
I’ve personally been on a few flights where we were about to land and the pilot pulled up or did a go-around because there was an animal on the runway. Once in Savusavu, Fiji it was a cow and another time in a remote part of Kenya (pictured above) though I can’t remember exactly what animal it was. It’s always scary when you have to do a go around but it sure is better than the alternative for the plane, passengers and animals.
