Cessna 172C accident near Tallahassee, Florida, November 26, 1998
On November 26, 1998 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172C, registered N1377Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tallahassee, Florida (Private Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an on ground collision with a horse.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 26, 1998 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tallahassee, Florida · Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172C · all 172Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1377Y · no longer on the register · serial 17249077
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing at a private airstrip when a herd of horses crossed the runway. The pilot attempted to takeoff again, but struck and killed one of the horses, causing the airplane to nose over. He said when he was on the ground, after landing and still rolling , he saw the movement of the horses off to his right, about 100 feet away from the airplane, on the landing field side of the fence and moving along the fence line in a slow gallop. He elected to go around and get out of the field. As he applied full power the horses tracked across the field in the path of the airplane. Three to four horses ran across the field and the last horse to cross the path of the airplane closed with the aircraft and did not run away, but in a straight line which put it directly in front of the aircraft. At or near ground effect speed the airplane struck the horse in a broadside impact, with a nose up attitude resulting in the instantaneous death of the horse, the loss of power, propeller, and nose gear. The airplane dragged the horse for several yards, and then nosed forward and flipped over.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 744 hours in all; 734 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 653 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,985 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 9, 1998; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 68J Tallahassee FL at 9:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 2,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,700 ft; clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from TLH, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.