- Date
- September 7, 2000, 19:45 local (Sep 8, 2000, 01:45 UTC)
- Place
- Big Piney, WY
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N844YTCessna 340A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000907014189A
- Case key
- 50217
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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Probable cause
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Collision with animals during the takeoff roll.
Analysis
During takeoff roll, at about 95 knots, the aircraft collided with two antelope. The antelope were crossing the runway from left to right and the aircraft impacted them with the nose landing gear and right engine propeller. Damage occurred to the nose gear assembly, nose wheel well keel beam and right engine propeller. Dusk conditions existed at the time and the visibility was approximately 10 miles. There was no animal protective fencing or other animal control devices installed at the airport which is uncontrolled.
Factual narrative
On September 7, 2000, at 1945 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 340A, N844YT, sustained substantial damage when it collided with two antelope during takeoff roll at Big Piney, Wyoming. The airline transport certificated pilot and his three passengers were not injured. No flight plan was filed for this Title 14 CFR Part 91 business flight en route to Casper, Wyoming. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
According to the pilot, the aircraft was at about 95 knots indicated airspeed during takeoff roll on runway 31 when it struck two antelope that were crossing the runway from left to right. The pilot said both animals missed the left engine and were struck by the nose landing gear assembly and the right engine propeller. Damage was sustained to the right propeller, nose landing gear assembly, and the keel beam in the nose wheel well was buckled. Following the collision, the takeoff roll was successfully aborted. Both antelope were fatally injured.
Following the collision, the pilot taxied the aircraft back to the ramp and later notified the FAA via the Casper, Flight Standards Field Office.
Light conditions at the time of the accident were dusk conditions with slight haze and the recorded visibility was 10 miles.
A review of airport data at the Big Piney Airport revealed that the airport is not controlled and no animal protective fencing or other animal control devices are installed.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N844YT
- Reported as
- Cessna 340A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1271
- Airframe hours
- 4,550
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-NB, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- True Drilling, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 5, 2000 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- Q
- Destination
- CPR · Casper, WY
- Airport
- BPI · Big Piney, runway 31, 6,803 × 75 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,862 total · 1,100 in this make and model · 11,562 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 270° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BPI, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.