In a recent bizarre aviation incident in North Carolina, United States, a small aircraft crashed near an airport while attempting to avoid a turtle on the runway. The crash resulted in 2 deaths and 1 injury.
According to a report by the Associated Press on June 21, the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary investigation revealed that the accident occurred on June 3 in the town of Mocksville, North Carolina.
A Universal Stinson 108 small aircraft crashed near the Sugar Valley Airport, leading to the fatalities of the pilot and another passenger, with one passenger sustaining severe injuries.
The report indicated that an air traffic controller at the airport observed a turtle on the runway from an office window and notified the pilot of the aircraft.
The air traffic controller reported that after landing on the 2,424-foot (739-meter) runway, the pilot attempted to lift the right landing gear to avoid the turtle. She heard the pilot increase the throttle after raising the right gear, but then lost sight of the aircraft.
A man cutting grass at the end of the runway stated that he saw the pilot lift the right gear to avoid the turtle on the runway, causing the plane to shake before taking off again. Shortly after, he lost sight of the aircraft and heard a loud noise followed by thick smoke.
The aircraft crashed approximately 255 feet (78 meters) from the runway in a dense forest and caught fire. The plane was wedged among several trees, with the left side landing, the left wing folded beneath the fuselage, the right wing bent towards the tail, but the fuselage remained intact without breaking into pieces.
Incidents of turtles appearing on runways have also been reported in Tokyo, Japan, although fortunately, they did not result in any casualties.
In a previous report by Epoch Times, one of the runways at Tokyo’s Narita Airport was temporarily closed on September 24, 2021, causing delays to multiple flights due to a turtle taking a stroll on the runway. While animals like cats and dogs sometimes stray onto runways, the presence of turtles is exceptionally rare.
Airport authorities at Narita used a net to capture the turtle on the runway. It measured about 30 centimeters in length and weighed 2.1 kilograms, likely emerging from a nearby reservoir used for rainwater storage.