The aircraft (not pictured) will be inspected before returning to the fleet. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
Oh deer.
An American Eagle flight scheduled to leave for Philadelphia on Wednesday morning was forced to abort takeoff after striking and killing a buck on the runway.
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The 50-seat, twin-engine jet was attempting to take off from Williamsport Regional Airport in Montoursville, Penn., shortly after 6 a.m. when the aircraft’s running gear hit the deer, the airport’s executive director, Thomas J. Hart, confirmed to PennLive.
After returning to the gate, passengers were rebooked on other airlines, a representative for American Airlines told Fox News. The American Eagle flight was being operated by Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines.
Hart told PennLive the deer likely scaled a perimeter fence, though such occurrences are rare.
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The plane suffered minimal damage and it was undergoing inspection.