Plane Hits Horse (1966)

[Dave Homewood]

Plane Hits Horse

(New Zealand Press Association)

NEW PLYMOUTH, Feb. 9. The wing of a Piper Pawnee aircraft landing on a private airstrip at Matangara, four miles south of Hawera, hit a horse about 8.10 last night. The pilot, Mr M. Tymons, aged 27, married, said today that visibility was poor when he approached the landing strip, but he saw the horse. He “buzzed” the strip twice and scared away the animal.

“I had made a successful landing and was losing speed when the horse walked in front of me and as if petrified stood still,” he said. The wing of the aircraft hit the animal near the top of its rear legs. “I have never had an experience quite like it and, to be candid, never want another. My first thought was that I had killed the horse.” The horse was only bruised.

PRESS, 10 FEBRUARY 1966

[FlyingKiwi]

Sounds like a lucky horse. As an aside, one of the considerations taught to student pilots for selecting a field for a forced landing is that it is ideally clear of stock, and usually the student's immediate thought goes to the welfare of the animal. I have to point out to them that if we hit a cow or a bull in our Cherokee it's not them I'm worried about!

[Dave Homewood]

Indeed. Even in a car if you hit a cow or a horse on the road it's usually fatal or very bad for both the animal and the human/s involved.

I know in the USA and other countries there have been incidents of aeroplanes hitting deer that dash across as they're landing too. Not sure if that has ever occurred here.

[planewriting]

There is a well-known (in New Zealand gliding circles) instance where a sheep was fatally hit by a landing glider.

[FlyingKiwi]

I've seen a video of a Tiger Moth making a forced landing, shot from a rear facing go-pro, which collects a cow, fortunately with the wings rather than the fuselage.

[Dave Homewood]

Oh yes. I believe I have seen that too. It was in England I think?

[davidd]

One of Air Travel (NZ) Ltd's Fox Moths was struck by a deer on landing at some small West Coast airstrip pre-war (1936?), apparently it was the rutting season or some such, and male deer get pretty stroppy (read territorial) at such times. I believe the deer (stag) was not seriously hurt, but the Fox did suffer somewhat worse. Have an idea this story may have been on this site previously - it was reported in the newspapers of old. Another Fox Moth (ZK-ADH I believe, Canterbury Aero Club) had an argument with a tree (which the pilot could not see, as he was descending in a thick fog on Wigram airfield at the time). Needless to say, the Fox Moth lost the unequal battle and ejected the cabin occupant (a medical casualty at the time, accidentally shot up in the mountains by a fellow deer shooter, its nothing new!) straight out ahead, through where the front bulkhead used to be, but was no longer. Amazingly the considerably shocked man was not injured too much in this incident, and was eventually taken to the hospital, and duly patched up. Another CAC asset (Fleet 7 trainer ZK-AGC? - somebody check that registration!), flew into a haystack during flight near Wigram somewhat later (1938?), and was a complete write off, although pilot was OK. However there was no fog this time, so definitely pilot error, and no angry stags in sight either. Another horse (or was it a cow?) was struck by a Fairey Gordon in about June 1940 when the latter was undertaking a forced landing on Barrington Park (Christchurch), pretty certain the unfortunate beast was killed in this instance, but crew unhurt.

[camtech]

Would that Fairey Gordon be NZ602 on 29th April, David?

FORCED LANDING IN SECTION AT SPREYDON. AEROPLANE KILLS A HORSE. ONE OCCUPANT’S ARM BROKEN. (Per Press Association). CHRISTCHURCH. This Day. Failing by a few yards to reach Barrington Park when attempting to make a forced landing, the pilot of an Air Force aeroplane pancaked his ’plane into a section at the back of a private house at Spreydon at 11.15 o’clock.
The pilot was Leading Aircraftman R. Clifford, of Christchurch, who escaped with minor abrasions, while the observer, Leading Aircraftman J. Curtis, suffered a broken arm. In landing, the aeroplane struck and killed a horse. Extensive damage was done to the wings, under-carriage, engine and propeller.
Ashburton Guardian 29 April 1940

[McFly]

Jun 20, 2022 10:35:51 GMT 12 FlyingKiwi said:

I've seen a video of a Tiger Moth making a forced landing, shot from a rear facing go-pro, which collects a cow, fortunately with the wings rather than the fuselage.

[McFly]

Jun 20, 2022 20:06:02 GMT 12 camtech said:

Would that Fairey Gordon be NZ602 on 29th April, David?

FORCED LANDING IN SECTION AT SPREYDON. AEROPLANE KILLS A HORSE. ONE OCCUPANT’S ARM BROKEN. (Per Press Association). CHRISTCHURCH. This Day. Failing by a few yards to reach Barrington Park when attempting to make a forced landing, the pilot of an Air Force aeroplane pancaked his ’plane into a section at the back of a private house at Spreydon at 11.15 o’clock.
The pilot was Leading Aircraftman R. Clifford, of Christchurch, who escaped with minor abrasions, while the observer, Leading Aircraftman J. Curtis, suffered a broken arm. In landing, the aeroplane struck and killed a horse. Extensive damage was done to the wings, under-carriage, engine and propeller.
Ashburton Guardian 29 April 1940

"WW2 Wigram Royal New Zealand Air Force trainees crash a Fairey Gordon in Barrington Park. Photo taken by William (Bill) Penman, RNZAF trainee.- 1940"

[Peter Lewis]

Jun 20, 2022 14:19:33 GMT 12 davidd said:

Another CAC asset (Fleet 7 trainer ZK-AGC? - somebody check that registration!), flew into a haystack during flight near Wigram somewhat later (1938?), and was a complete write off, although pilot was OK. However there was no fog this time, so definitely pilot error, and no angry stags in sight either. 

Fleet 7-B ZK-AGC of the Marlborough Aero Club: Cr while night flying near Wigram 30Apr38.

[Dave Homewood]

Nice. And a real plane behind it. A Christchurch (Territorial) Squadron Blackburn Baffin.

[delticman]

While search for an accident date of Jim Larsens Cessna 185, ZK-CKO at Westmere, Wanganui. (Can anyone help?)


I found this in Jims OB after he died a few years later and this was at the end.

One story Jim told us staying at Gorge River Hut that night was how on a ten-minute flight from his home farm to the deer farm, a stowaway possum must have crawled up into his warm engine cowling when it was parked up the night before.

Halfway through the flight, two little paws suddenly appeared up between the whirling propeller and engine cowling, then the face of the freaked out possum which eyeballed him for a few seconds before being whisked by the jetstream along the fuselage to disappear out the back.

Jim said he looked back, his last sight of the critter hurtling down to the bush below. He reckoned it would have survived and just gone on its way.

[mit]

Jun 24, 2022 17:33:53 GMT 12 delticman said:

While search for an accident date of Jim Larsens Cessna 185, ZK-CKO at Westmere, Wanganui. (Can anyone help?)


I found this in Jims OB after he died a few years later and this was at the end.

One story Jim told us staying at Gorge River Hut that night was how on a ten-minute flight from his home farm to the deer farm, a stowaway possum must have crawled up into his warm engine cowling when it was parked up the night before.

Halfway through the flight, two little paws suddenly appeared up between the whirling propeller and engine cowling, then the face of the freaked out possum which eyeballed him for a few seconds before being whisked by the jetstream along the fuselage to disappear out the back.

Jim said he looked back, his last sight of the critter hurtling down to the bush below. He reckoned it would have survived and just gone on its way.

He brilliantly tells that story ( and many others) on the country calendar episode dedicated to him. I wish I could find it on line or dvd!