Report says rabbit caused plane crash

WCNC ^ | January 11, 2007 | WCNC Staff

[holymoly]

MOORESVILLE, NC -- A small plane hit a rabbit while landing at a private airstrip in Mooresville causing the plane to crash, according to a National Transportation Safety Bureau report.

The crash happened at Miller Airpark on March 13, 2006. The pilot of the plane told the NTSB the plane skipped and touched down normally until the nose of the plane began to quickly come down. The pilot tried to keep the nose up, but he was unable to. The plane skidded about 40 feet before flipping over, tail-over front. When the pilot exited the craft he said the landing gear on the nose was bent.

An investigation into the accident revealed a dead rabbit near where the nose gear made a trench in the grass.

The plane had stopped in the center of the runway with 900 feet left in the runway, according to the NTSB's report. Investigators removed the plane's front landing gear and inspected it and found no mechanical defects, but they were able to find trace amounts of animal blood, presumably from the rabbit.

The plane suffered substantial damage in the crash. The pilot was able to walk away with minor injuries.

[holymoly]

An investigation into the accident revealed a dead rabbit near where the nose gear made a trench in the grass.

"That wascally wabbit won't do that again!"

[Rb ver. 2.0]

There are a lot of other ways to kill a rabbit besides pegging one with the nose gear of a landing aircraft.

It is rather sporting though.

[GoldCountryRedneck]

Shame...

A rabbit would be hard to spot. I've aborted landings due to deer and wild turkeys crossing a runway....

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Anytime I see a thread about a rabbit, I think of the angry rabbit attack on Jimmy Carter.

[ClearCase_guy]

The sequel to "Snakes on a plane" -- "Rabbit on the runway"!

[mdittmar]

Well, that's no ordinary rabbit. That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on.

[PzLdr]

Sounds like something out of Monty Python.

[Alia]

NC *Ping*

Please FRmail Constitution Day OR TaxRelief OR Alia if you want to be added to or removed from this North Carolina ping list.

[Howlin]

Wow!

[Ditter]

I find this really hard to believe, a BIG rabbit might weigh 10 pounds.

[jdm]

"Don't worry; we'll have a safe landing. In fact, I brought my rabbit's foot for good luck."

[NonValueAdded]

Must have been one of those Teletubbie rabits, they're hugh!!!

[Carolinamom]

Miller Airport is to the right of Hwy. 150 and about half way between Mooresville and Salisbury, NC.

[JWinNC]

me too... smells funny

[PeteB570]

"Run away."

name that movie.

:-)

[Constitution Day]

Bizarre.

[Alia]

I wonder if the pilot was a Carter Supporter.

RABBIT ATTACK!

[Constitution Day]

LMAO!!

[gopheraj]

Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Love that movie!

[Alia]

A PETA story to tell children at bedtime: The rabbit crossed the road to suicide bomb a nasty gas guzzler containing Imperialist Americans.

Al Sadyr: "We have allies in America"; we are as Dr. Doolittle."