- Date
- November 9, 2025, 05:10 local (10:10 UTC)
- Place
- Southern Pines, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N500CABeech 95-A55
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 7, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20251109017599A
- Case key
- 201976
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 pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during takeoff at night, while distracted by an animal approaching the runway, which resulted in collision with a runway light.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he was departing in a multi-engine airplane at night. During the takeoff roll, a small animal darted towards the runway. Distracted, he released a small amount of rudder pressure but elected to continue the takeoff. The airplane subsequently collided with a runway edge light, which resulted in substantial damage to the left aileron. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N500CA
- Reported as
- Beech 95-A55
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TC-494
- Built
- 1963
- Airframe hours
- 6,711
- Engines
- Continental IO-520, 300 horsepower, reciprocatingContinental IO-520, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 5, 2025
- Airport
- SOP · Moore County Airport, runway 23, 6,503 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B
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
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 3,650 total · 950 in this make and model · 3,000 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.82 inHg
- Observed at
- SOP
- METAR
- METAR KSOP 090956Z AUTO 21007KT 10SM OVC009 19/19 A2982
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 11, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.