- Date
- August 8, 1991, 20:30 local (Aug 9, 1991, 03:30 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Canyon, AZ
- Injuries
- 10 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N161TACessna 402C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910808032679A
- Case key
- 27321
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 failure of the airport operator to develop animal control procedures for the airport property.
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 said he was near rotation speed on the takeoff ground roll when an elk suddenly ran onto the runway immediately in front of the aircraft. The pilot said there was not enough time to avoid hitting the animal. The Grand Canyon airport is in a heavily forested mountain area. There are no fences which surround the airport complex. The accident occurred during the hours of darkness.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N161TA
- Reported as
- Cessna 402C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 0070
- Engine
- Continental TSI0-520, 325 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Sierra Nevada Airways
- Destination
- LAS · Las Vegas, NV
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- GCN · Grand Canyon, runway 21, 8,999 × 150 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
- 22
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 3,900 total · 1,400 in this make and model · 3,800 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.