- Date
- August 13, 2000, 20:00 local (Aug 14, 2000, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pettigrew, AR
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1282HAeronca 15AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 19, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000813013669A
- Case key
- 49977
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 obstacle clearance during landing.
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
There were some cows on the pilot's private airstrip, and he made several passes to clear the cows. The cows moved to the west end of the east/west airstrip, and he initiated a "normal" approach to the east. As he flew over the cows, he thought he had cleared the cows; however, one of the cows had moved, and the main landing gear struck and killed it. The airplane came to rest inverted about 30 feet beyond the cow.
Factual narrative
On August 13, 2000, at 2000 central daylight time, an Aeronca 15AC single-engine airplane, N1282H, was substantially damaged when it collided with a cow during landing at a private airstrip near Pettigrew, Arkansas. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. The private pilot was not injured and his sole passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The local flight originated from the pilot's private airstrip, about 15-20 minutes prior to the accident.
The pilot reported to the NTSB investigator-in-charge that there were some cows on his private airstrip, and he made several passes to clear the cows. The cows moved to the west end of the east/west airstrip, and he initiated a "normal" approach to the east. As he flew over the cows, he thought he had cleared the cows; however, one of the cows had moved, and the main landing gear struck and killed it. The airplane came to rest inverted about 30 feet beyond the cow.
The pilot stated that the leading edge of the airplane's right wing, the vertical stabilizer, and the nose and main landing gear were damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1282H
- Reported as
- Aeronca 15AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 298
- Airframe hours
- 2,926
- Engine
- Continental C-145-2, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Douglas B. Thornberry
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 13, 1999 · 17 hours before
- Airport
- NONE · Private Airstrip, runway 13, 2,200 × 40 ft, grass/turf
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 800 total · 276 in this make and model · 740 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 176 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.