Beechcraft BE-58 N8140R

Summary

On 20 August 2004 at about 14:30 local time, a Beechcraft BE-58 registered N8140R was involved in an accident near Groveton, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 August 2004 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Groveton, Texas, United States

Coordinates

31.0944, -95.1628

Aircraft

Beechcraft BE-58

Registration

N8140R

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dry Creek → Groveton

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW04CA218

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's intentional ground loop to avoid colliding with deer that entered the runway during the landing roll. A contributing factor was the tall grass adjacent to the runway that prevented detection of the deer.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 4,940-hour commercial pilot entered the traffic pattern for runway 16 ( 3,500-foot long and 60-foot wide asphalt runway), and did not observe any obstructions on the runway as he crossed over the threshold at an airspeed of approximately 100 knots. When the twin-engine airplane touched down, the pilot spotted three deer on the left side of the runway approximately 200 yards in front of him, and he applied "light right rudder to avoid contact." The deer continued to cross the runway from left to right, directly in front of the airplane's roll-out path, and the pilot applied "heavy left rudder and brake, and light right brake to slow and pull the aircraft to the left." Subsequently, the airplane exited the left side of the runway, and impacted trees in a small ravine located about 60-feet from the edge of the runway. The pilot also reported the deer were hiding in the 3-foot tall grass located along both sides of the runway. The pilot added that after he exited the airplane he walked approximately 1/4-mile to the main ramp for assistance. Upon returning to the airplane, he observed a small fire that gradually intensified and consumed the airplane. A review of published airport information revealed there was a remark that stated deer were on and in the vicinity of the airport. The pilot stated that the airport was not fenced.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.