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Deer-plane crash is costly          Send a link to a friend

[September 12, 2007]  PROVO, Utah (AP) -- A plane owned by Utah Valley State College sustained $50,000 in damage when it slammed into a deer during a landing. The Diamond DA42 Twin Star hit the deer at 1 a.m. MDT on Aug. 22, said Mario Markides, UVSC flight operations manager. As part of training, pilots fly at night. The deer died.

"The big problem is you can't swerve," Markides said of seeing deer on the runway at the Provo airport.

The airport is near Utah Lake, in an area where deer find food and shelter.

"Wherever you provide habitat for an animal, they find that niche," said Craig Clyde, wildlife-program manager at the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

Another problem: When deer slip through the fence at the airport, they often become trapped and can't get out, he said.

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Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldextra.com/

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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