A fixed-wing airplane struck and killed a deer during a hard landing at Nevada County Airport Wednesday night.

Neither the plane's owner nor his passenger were injured when the Piper Arrow four-passenger plane hit the deer shortly after 8 p.m.

"They were coming for a landing and had the main wheels on the ground and the front wheels were still up," airport operations manager Rob Kopp said. "The deer came running up and took off the main nose gear."

The airplane was damaged, with some fuel leaking as a result, and will be repaired. The deer died from its injuries.

ooo

To contact Staff Writer Robyn Moormeister, e-mail robynm @theunion.com or call 477-4236.