- Date
- October 15, 1996, 21:25 local (Oct 16, 1996, 02:25 UTC)
- Place
- Olive Branch, MS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N16413Piper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 2, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19961015032359A
- Case key
- 3797
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The farmer's failure to maintain security of his livestock/animals.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot reported that as the takeoff airspeed accelerated to 60 mph, with the landing lights on, he noticed the rear end of a large black bull walking down the center of the runway. During the pilot's attempt to avoid a collision, the right wing struck the bull. Reportedly, the bull came from a pasture adjacent to the airport. In the past, there had been several occurrences of domestic livestock on the airport property from a nearby pasture.
Factual narrative
On October 15, 1996, at 2125 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-200, N16413, collided with a bull on runway 18 during a takeoff roll at the Olive Branch Airport in Olive Branch, Mississippi. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, with a flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the pilot was not injured. The accident occurred during the initial takeoff attempt from Olive Branch.
The pilot reported that as the airplane accelerated to 60 mph, with the landing lights on, he noticed the rear end of a large black bull walking down the center of the runway. During the pilot's attempt to avoid a collision, the right wing struck the bull. Despite the collision, the pilot taxied the airplane to the next available taxiway and exited the runway. Reportedly, the bull came from a pasture adjacent to the airport. In the past, there had been several occurrences of domestic livestock on the airport from the same pasture.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16413
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7335142
- Airframe hours
- 4,388
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Joseph E. Lutz
- Registered owner
- Mark Hicks
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 7, 1996 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- OLV
- Destination
- LIC · Little Rock, AR
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- OLV · Olive Branch, runway 18, 6,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,272 total · 9 in this make and model · 1,956 as pilot in command · 51 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MEM
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.