A video of an Alaska Airlines plane hitting deer while landing at an airport in Alaska has gone viral on social media. The incident happened at Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport, where a Boeing 737 struck multiple deer on the runway.
What the Video Shows:
The video, shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), shows the plane landing and then running into deer crossing the runway. The plane comes to a complete stop after the collision.
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 hit a few deer while landing at Kodiak Airport pic.twitter.com/7cYX8aUTlQ
— Planesanity (@planesanity) July 25, 2025
Pilots Saw the Deer Before Landing:
Before landing, the pilot warned air traffic control, saying, “There is deer on the runway.”
The control tower asked where the deer were, and the pilot replied, “The intersection.”
Read more: Alaska Airlines Grounds All Flights Across U.S. After Tech Glitch
What Happened Next:
The plane’s main landing gear got damaged after hitting the deer. Due to this, all flights to and from Kodiak Airport were cancelled for the rest of the day. Passengers were later rebooked on other flights.
Animal Strikes Are Common:
This isn’t a rare event. According to reports, over 22,000 animal strikes involving aircraft were recorded in the US last year. Kodiak Airport alone had five such incidents.
While bird strikes are most common, there have also been collisions with animals like:
- An alligator in Florida
- A mongoose in Hawaii
- A badger in North Dakota
Everyone Is Safe:
Thankfully, no passengers or crew were injured in this Alaska Airlines incident.
This surprising event is now under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
