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20140620013609I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-31-350 · Orlando, FL · June 20, 2014

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 20, 2014 · 13:45 local
Place
Orlando, FL
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N99PN
Reported as
Piper PA-31-350
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard
6
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
7,250 total100 in the last 90 days
N99PNRegistration cancelled Dec 10, 2019 · Piper PA-31-350S/N 31-7305042 · Built 1973Airframe modelPiper PA-31-350Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

----------------

Route: myam-bairn-korl

Visual approach at korl on final to rwy 25. Cleared to land, pre-landing checklist completed & in landing configuration on PAPI glideslope. Speed approx 110KTS & reducing to landing speed. Less than 1000' (~800'?) I saw a large bird directly in front of aircraft. Turned left to avoid but the bird moved in the same direction. Rolled right to avoid but the bird moved in that direction too. Stopped descent to try to fly over bird but too close to avoid. The bird struck the right side of the right windshield with a loud bang.

The windshield shattered, the sunvisor was broken, the front seat passenger suffered a cut to his forehead, and I later found a small scratch on my right elbow. Interior of aircraft was splattered with bird blood, feathers & pieces throughout the cabin. The cockpit also had shattered pieces of windshield & sun visor scattered around.

Advised tower of the birdstrike while checking the control seat passenger who had ducked down and was holding his hand to his head. He had blood & gore all over him. The passenger reported he was ok. I saw he was bleeding & passed him an absorbent cloth to hold to his wound.

Advised tower that there was an injury, that after landing I'd be proceeding directly to customs ramp to park, and that I'd like the paramedics to meet the aircraft to address the pax injury. I turned to the cabin pax & told them that we'd had a birdstrike but were safe and would be able to land ok.

Landed, taxied directly to the cbp area on the east ramp & shutdown. I reassured the injured pax that paramedics were on their way and they would be able to look after his injury. I asked the other passengers if anyone else was injured. The cabin pax denied being injured. All pax exited except the injured front seat pax and another pax caring for him.

I dealt with customs to meet the international requirements while the paramedics looked after the injured pax. I arranged for showalter FBO to collect the passengers & their baggage from the cbp ramp.

After handling requests for information from the emergency services, Orlando airport authority & korl tower, I moved the aircraft to the maintenance service we use to make use of their facilities. While there I contacted the FAA to notify them of the incident, submitted a birdstrike report, collected bird remains for identification, & commenced an NTSB incident report.

As the FAA filed it

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ROUTE: MYAM-BAIRN-KORL

VISUAL APPROACH AT KORL ON FINAL TO RWY 25. CLEARED TO LAND, PRE-LANDING CHECKLIST COMPLETED & IN LANDING CONFIGURATION ON PAPI GLIDESLOPE. SPEED APPROX 110KTS & REDUCING TO LANDING SPEED. LESS THAN 1000' (~800'?) I SAW A LARGE BIRD DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF AIRCRAFT. TURNED LEFT TO AVOID BUT THE BIRD MOVED IN THE SAME DIRECTION. ROLLED RIGHT TO AVOID BUT THE BIRD MOVED IN THAT DIRECTION TOO. STOPPED DESCENT TO TRY TO FLY OVER BIRD BUT TOO CLOSE TO AVOID. THE BIRD STRUCK THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RIGHT WINDSHIELD WITH A LOUD BANG.

THE WINDSHIELD SHATTERED, THE SUNVISOR WAS BROKEN, THE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER SUFFERED A CUT TO HIS FOREHEAD, AND I LATER FOUND A SMALL SCRATCH ON MY RIGHT ELBOW. INTERIOR OF AIRCRAFT WAS SPLATTERED WITH BIRD BLOOD, FEATHERS & PIECES THROUGHOUT THE CABIN. THE COCKPIT ALSO HAD SHATTERED PIECES OF WINDSHIELD & SUN VISOR SCATTERED AROUND.

ADVISED TOWER OF THE BIRDSTRIKE WHILE CHECKING THE CONTROL SEAT PASSENGER WHO HAD DUCKED DOWN AND WAS HOLDING HIS HAND TO HIS HEAD. HE HAD BLOOD & GORE ALL OVER HIM. THE PASSENGER REPORTED HE WAS OK. I SAW HE WAS BLEEDING & PASSED HIM AN ABSORBENT CLOTH TO HOLD TO HIS WOUND.

ADVISED TOWER THAT THERE WAS AN INJURY, THAT AFTER LANDING I'D BE PROCEEDING DIRECTLY TO CUSTOMS RAMP TO PARK, AND THAT I'D LIKE THE PARAMEDICS TO MEET THE AIRCRAFT TO ADDRESS THE PAX INJURY. I TURNED TO THE CABIN PAX & TOLD THEM THAT WE'D HAD A BIRDSTRIKE BUT WERE SAFE AND WOULD BE ABLE TO LAND OK.

LANDED, TAXIED DIRECTLY TO THE CBP AREA ON THE EAST RAMP & SHUTDOWN. I REASSURED THE INJURED PAX THAT PARAMEDICS WERE ON THEIR WAY AND THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO LOOK AFTER HIS INJURY. I ASKED THE OTHER PASSENGERS IF ANYONE ELSE WAS INJURED. THE CABIN PAX DENIED BEING INJURED. ALL PAX EXITED EXCEPT THE INJURED FRONT SEAT PAX AND ANOTHER PAX CARING FOR HIM.

I DEALT WITH CUSTOMS TO MEET THE INTERNATIONAL REQUIREMENTS WHILE THE PARAMEDICS LOOKED AFTER THE INJURED PAX. I ARRANGED FOR SHOWALTER FBO TO COLLECT THE PASSENGERS & THEIR BAGGAGE FROM THE CBP RAMP.

AFTER HANDLING REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION FROM THE EMERGENCY SERVICES, ORLANDO AIRPORT AUTHORITY & KORL TOWER, I MOVED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE MAINTENANCE SERVICE WE USE TO MAKE USE OF THEIR FACILITIES. WHILE THERE I CONTACTED THE FAA TO NOTIFY THEM OF THE INCIDENT, SUBMITTED A BIRDSTRIKE REPORT, COLLECTED BIRD REMAINS FOR IDENTIFICATION, & COMMENCED AN NTSB INCIDENT REPORT.