# Accident 20230711018869A: Piper PA-28-181, Gray, GA, July 11, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 11, 2023, 13:39 local time
- Place: Gray, GA
- Airport: Na
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: HG6S
- Location: 33.0099° N, 83.5342° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.0099&lon=-83.5342&mi=10
- Aircraft: N271MG, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N271MG) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102807, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (registry code 42276, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-360-a4m) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-181
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-360-A4M
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 194 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA23LA305](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23LA305) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230711018869A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF FROM KMAC AIRPORT GOING NORTH FOR 12 MILES AT 3000 FEET. PILOT WAS PERFORMING PRACTICE MANEUVERS BETWEEN 3200 AND 2500 FEET. AFTER FINISHING MANEUVERS, AIRCRAFT WAS FLOWN SOUTH FOR 3 MINUTES AND STARTED FLYING BACK TO KMAC AIRPORT. WHILE INPUTTING DATA INTO THE G1000 NAVIGATION SYSTEM, PILOT LOOKED UP TO SEE A LARGE BLACK BIRD FLYING VERY CLOSE AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE PLANE. PILOT TRIED TO AVOID IT BY PUSHING THE NOSE DOWN BUT IT WAS TOO LATE. BIRD IMPACTED THE END OF THE RIGHT WING. PILOT STATED THAT HE COULD HEAR AND FEEL THE IMPACT OF THE BIRD AND RH WING. PILOT NOTICED THAT THE END OF THE RIGHT WING WAS VISIBLY DEFORMED. PILOT IMMEDIATELY STARTED HEADING FOR KMAC AIRPORT WHICH WAS 12 MILES TO THE SOUTH OF THE SITE OF COLLISION. FLIGHT CONTROLS OF THE AIRCRAFT WERE NOTED AS BEING NOMAL. PILOT DID NOT DECLARE AN EMERGENCY AND LANDED NORMALLY ON RUNWAY 280. AIRCRAFT WAS TAXIED TO THE FBO AND PARKED.

## 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 ERA23LA305](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23LA305), Jul 11, 2023: Piper PA-28 (N271MG), Gray, GA, substantial damage. Probable cause: An in-flight collision with a bird.

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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