Primary finding
Probable cause
the deer which contacted the airplane.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
A deer ran out of a corn field which bordered the runway at a private airstrip as the airplane was rotated for takeoff. The deer contacted the left main landing gear. The airplane then contacted the corn crop where it nosed over.
Source record
Factual narrative
On August 16, 1997, at 1530 central daylight time(cdt), a Grumman American G-164B, N7016Y, operated by Ag Aviation Service, Inc., collided with a deer and nosed over while taking off from a grass airstrip in Burlington, Wisconsin. The 14 CFR Part 137 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that he was taking off on a heading of 270 degrees from a private airstrip when the accident occurred. He reported that the airstrip had a corn field bordering the south side of the runway. According to the pilot, a deer ran out of the corn field and contacted the left main landing gear just after the airplane rotated for takeoff. The airplane then contacted a corn crop and nosed over at the end of the runway. -