Beech A45 accident near Eatonton, Georgia, September 29, 2001
On September 29, 2001 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Beech A45, registered N45GS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eatonton, Georgia (Sebastion Cove airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent sliding of the airplane on tall grass when the pilot aborted takeoff and the swerved the airplane to the left of the runway to avoid deer which had walked onto the runway, resulting in the airplanes left wing contacting a tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2001 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Eatonton, Georgia · Sebastion Cove · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A45 · all A45s on the register
- Registration
- N45GS · registry record · serial 34-76
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that during takeoff to the east, he observed three deer crossing the runway in front of him. He aborted the takeoff and simultaneously swerved to the left to avoid contact with the deer. There was tall grass along the side of the runway and the airplane began to slide on the tall grass. The left wing of the airplane then impacted a 6 to 8 inch tree.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 14,000 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 18, 2001
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 26, 2000; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550-B9F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 32GA Eatonton GA at 11:00 pm
- Destination: GVL Gainesville GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from MCN, 45 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.