Two people narrowly escaped with their lives Saturday after the single-engine plane they were flying crashed into two elk upon landing. Pilot Todd Rudberg and his passenger Valerie Villacin survived, but neither the elk nor the plane did.
According to Oregon State Police, Rudberg was landing his 2003 Vans Aircraft Model RV8 at the Nehalem Bay State Park airstrip around 5:14 p.m. when the two animals, at least one of them a young bull, came running onto the tarmac. Rudberg had already touched down and attempted to goose the motor and lift off again, but it was too late: One elk was hit by the plane’s landing gear and propellor, while the second, running into the plane’s path moments later, was struck by one of the wings. The impact sent the plane spinning down the runway.
According to Oregon’s Fox 12, the FAA temporarily closed the airstrip and will be conducting an investigation. Both Rudberg and Villacin were, miraculously, unharmed by the collision, but both elk were killed and the plane was totaled. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials were able to salvage meat from the animals, which was donated to charity.
Note: Oregon is home to two subspecies of elk, the Rocky Mountain and the Roosevelt. The former is found in the eastern part of the state, while the latter is found in the west. As Nehalem Bay State Park lies along the Pacific coastline, we presume the elk hit by Rudberg’s plane were Roosevelts.