- Date
- September 29, 2001, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Eatonton, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N45GSBeech A45
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010929027569A
- Case key
- 53543
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 inadvertent sliding of the airplane on tall grass when the pilot aborted takeoff and the swerved the airplane to the left of the runway to avoid deer which had walked onto the runway, resulting in the airplanes left wing contacting a tree.
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 stated that during takeoff to the east, he observed three deer crossing the runway in front of him. He aborted the takeoff and simultaneously swerved to the left to avoid contact with the deer. There was tall grass along the side of the runway and the airplane began to slide on the tall grass. The left wing of the airplane then impacted a 6 to 8 inch tree.
Factual narrative
On September 29, 2001, about 1900 eastern daylight time, a Beech A45, N45GS, registered to Group 144 S, Inc., collided with a tree during an aborted takeoff at Sebastian Cove Airport, Eatonton, Georgia, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage and the airline transport-rated pilot was not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The pilot stated that during takeoff to the east, he observed three deer crossing the runway in front of him. He aborted the takeoff and simultaneously swerved to the left to avoid contact with the deer. There was tall grass along the side of the runway and the airplane began to slide on the tall grass. The left wing of the airplane then impacted a 6 to 8 inch diameter tree.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N45GS
- Reported as
- Beech A45
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-76
- Airframe hours
- 5,100
- Engine
- Continental IO-550-B9F, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- J. Georges Sulmers
- Registered owner
- Group 144 S, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 26, 2000 · 55 hours before
- Departed
- 32GA · Eatonton, GA
- Destination
- GVL · Gainesville, GA
- Airport
- 32GA · Sebastion Cove, runway 9, 3,000 × 50 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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Last flight review
- June 18, 2001
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 14,000 as pilot in command · 160 in the last 90 days · 55 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 50° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- MCN, 45 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.