- Date
- October 8, 1989, 21:05 local (Oct 9, 1989, 01:05 UTC)
- Place
- Tampa, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N8149JPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891008042289A
- Case key
- 32591
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
An animal (cow) that had wandered onto the arpt.
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
During takeoff at night, the airplane collided with a cow that had gotten onto the airport. The pilot reported that he was unable to see the animal on the apshalt runway with a dark background until just before impact. There were several access points where a large animal could have come onto the airport. The exact access point was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8149J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8216111
- Airframe hours
- 3,340
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wenrick Aircraft Leasing Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 14, 1989 · 55 hours before
- Destination
- PMP · Pompano Beach, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- X16 · Vandenberg, runway 18, 3,260 × 65 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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 440 total · 335 in this make and model · 388 as pilot in command · 55 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TPA, 10 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.