# Incident 20180424004059I: Piper PA-28-161, Merritt Island, FL, April 24, 2018

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 24, 2018, 13:40 local time
- Place: Merritt Island, FL
- Airport: Merritt Island
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 28.3416° N, 80.6855° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at MERRITT ISLAND (COI), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.3416&lon=-80.6855&mi=10
- Aircraft: N398H, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N398H) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-161 (registry code 7102803, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-161) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (registry code 42156, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-320-d3g) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-161
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-320-D3G
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 307 total, 176 in this make and model, 45 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180424004059I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

THE ACFT DEPARTED RWY 29 AT COI ON A PART 61 INSTRUCTIONAL FLT, AND THE OTBD RT WING OF THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED A LARGE BIRD ABOUT 1 MILE FROM THE ARPT AT ABOUT 500 FT MSL ALTITUDE WHILE OVER THE INDIAN RIVER. THE FLIGHT RETURNED TO COI AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT AFTER THE MISHAP REVEALED THAT THE UPPER RT WING OTBD LEADING EDGE SKIN WAS PARTIALLY CAVED IN BETWEEN TWO WING RIBS.

## Other reports on N398H (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20250418003679I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250418003679I), Apr 18, 2025: Piper PA-28-161 (N398H), Pahokee, FL, Minor damage. On April 18th at 0830 [privacy data omitted] landed on rwy 18 at kphk (Pahokee). After a successful landing, the pilot taxied back and lined up on rwy 18. He…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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