# Accident 20211031020819A: Cessna 172N, Stevensville, MD, October 31, 2021

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 31, 2021, 18:06 local time
- Place: Stevensville, MD
- Airport: Bay Bridge Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.9790° N, 76.3472° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.9790&lon=-76.3472&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3HQ, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3HQ) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172N (registry code 2072434, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172n) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172N
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,825 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA22LA044](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA22LA044) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20211031020819A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT WAS CLIMBING THROUGH 100 FEET DURING AN OVERWATER DEPARTURE FROM RUNWAY 29 AND STRUCK A BIRD SUBSEQUENTLY IDENTIFIED AS A CORMORANT. THE BIRD SHATTERED THE RIGHT HALF OF THE WINDSHIELD AND STRUCK THE INSTRUCTOR, WHO WAS PILOT FLYING, IN THE FACE, CAUSING MINOR INJURIES. THE RESULTING OPENING IN THE FRONT OF THE CABIN CAUSED A LARGE INCREASE IN DRAG MAKING THE AIRCRAFT DIFFICULT TO FLY AND BARELY ABLE TO MAINTAIN LEVEL FLIGHT. DESPITE THIS HE WAS ABLE TO RETAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND SUCCESSFULLY LANDED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA22LA044](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA22LA044), Oct 31, 2021: Cessna 172 (N3HQ), Stevensville, MD, substantial damage. Probable cause: An in-flight collision with a bird during initial climb.

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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