Plane burst into flame after hitting elk

[pipers]

WARRENTON, Ore. -- A small jet burst into flames Tuesday morning after slamming into an elk just before takeoff.

The Lear 36 jet, on loan to the Canadian military, was traveling about 120 mph on the runway at the Astoria Regional Airport when it collided with the animal.

The elk hit the left wing and apparently either ruptured the fuel tank or damaged the engine and caused a fire.

Witnesses reported hearing a loud boom and seeing a ball of fire around 6:15 a.m.

The two civilian pilots deployed a chute and brought the aircraft to rest in the safety area just beyond the runway. The pilots, along with one civilian passenger and one member of the Canadian military, escaped uninjured before flames destroyed the plane.

Crews from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Warrenton Fire Department worked to extinguish the blaze.

Federal Aviation Administration investigators arrived on the scene around 10 a.m.

The plane was being used for training exercises off the Oregon Coast.

Fencing surrounds about three-quarters of the airport. Even before Tuesday's crash, a complete fence was in the works.

 

[flyhi]

yeah, i just talked to a friend of mine who works for the company that owns the lear. They are based out of atlanta, ga and do a lot of contract work for the government. he said unfortunately, it was one of their nicer lears, but fortunately, nobody was injured. it happened at rotation speed, but the crew figured they were not going to be able to fly, so they aborted. seems like good decision, wing was destroyed.

fly safely,
flyhi

 

[tarp]

It's already listed on NTSB.gov. Pilot says right at V1.

 

[LrBob]

elk

anybody want to bet that the faa will try to burn the pilots for aborting after v1

 

[flyhi]

yes, i guess that's why in the ntsb report it says it happened at V1. how are the feds going to know any different?

 

[avbug]

Which company was it?

 

[DoinTime]

The two civilian pilots deployed a chute and brought the aircraft to rest in the safety area just beyond the runway.

Lear 36's have drag chutes?

 

[Typhoon1244]

WARRENTON, Ore. -- A small jet burst into flames Tuesday morning after slamming into an elk just before takeoff.

I'll bet Al Queda was involved. Are they sure it wasn't a camel?

Maybe it was an anti-aircraft moose-le.

(Wow. Maybe I'd better go to bed...)