Yes, An Airplane Actually Struck Two Elk in Oregon

This isn't your normal animal-vehicle collision.

We hear a lot of crazy wildlife stories here at Wide Open Spaces, but every once in a while there's one that just takes the cake. This latest one comes to us out of Oregon and involves an airplane that hit two elk.

It happened last Saturday in Manzanita at the Nehalem Bay State Park airstrip according to Oregon Live. Pilor Todd Rudberg had just brought his single-engine plane down on the runway when an elk suddenly ran out.

Unable to stop, Rudberg tried to take off again and sped up in a desperate attempt to avoid the animal, but it was too late. A few moments later, another elk ran in front of the plane that was also struck, and the plane eventually spun out on the airstrip. Thankfully, Rudberg and his passenger weren't hurt in the incident, but both elk ended up dead.

The plane's propeller and landing gear killed the first elk. The plane's left wing smacked the second and killed it. Oregon State Police told reporters the animals totaled the plane.

Airplanes collisions with elk don't happen very often. Oregon Live reports a study found only 11 instances of them being struck in the U.S. in a 26-year time frame.

While planes regularly collide with birds, we do get an odd story about a vehicle striking an unexpected animal every once in a while. A plan hit an alligator back in June!

Stories like this make us wonder...how do you even begin to explain something like this to an insurance company?

NEXT: THE UNBELIEVABLE MOMENT WHEN AN SUV CATAPULTS A MOOSE INTO THE AIR