- Date
- September 17, 2009, 19:00 local (Sep 18, 2009, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- McArthur, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N82PLAviat A-1C
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Wildlife encounter (non-bird)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 29, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090917016769A
- Case key
- 74755
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 aircraft control during landing due to animals unexpectedly running onto the runway.
Findings · 2
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, who was located in the front seat of the tail wheel equipped airplane, had just completed two uneventful full stop landings at the private grass airstrip. The pilot in the rear seat then took the controls, and departed with the intention of performing a full stop landing. The rear seated pilot stated that during the landing, cattle ran from behind a line of trees, and onto the runway. He did not have enough separation from the cattle to perform a go-around, so he aggressively applied the brakes. The airplane subsequently nosed over causing substantial damage to the wings.
Factual narrative
The pilot, who was located in the front seat of the tail wheel equipped airplane, had just completed two uneventful full stop landings at the private grass airstrip. The pilot in the rear seat then took the controls, and departed with the intention of performing a full stop landing. The rear seated pilot stated that during the landing, cattle ran from behind a line of trees, and onto the runway. He did not have enough separation from the cattle to perform a go-around, so he aggressively applied the brakes. The airplane subsequently nosed over causing substantial damage to the wings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82PL
- Reported as
- Aviat A-1C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3047
- Airframe hours
- 236
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 18, 2008
- Departed
- PVT · McArthur, CA
- Destination
- PVT · McArthur, CA
- Airport
- PVT · Oilar Private Airstrip, runway 24, 1,100 × 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 28, 2008
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 2,160 total · 51 in this make and model · 300 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 0 total · 0 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- AAT, 50 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 23, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 647 KB 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.