# Accident 20240706007209A: Piper PA-28-181, Clearwater, FL, July 6, 2024

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 6, 2024, 14:40 local time
- Place: Clearwater, FL
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 27.8981° N, 82.6765° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.8981&lon=-82.6765&mi=10
- Aircraft: N471A, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N471A) (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
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA24LA295](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24LA295) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240706007209A

## Narrative

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

ON SATURDAY JULY 6TH  PILOT OF PIPER PA 28 WAS FLIGHT INSTRUCTING AT KPIE. IT WAS A PERFECT VFR DAY, THE WINDS WERE CALM AROUND 4 KTS,

VISIBILITY 10 SM AND THE SKY WAS CLEAR. THE STUDENT WAS WORKING ON TAKEOFF AND

LANDING PRACTICE AND WE WERE WORKING ON PATTERN OPERATIONS ON RUNWAY 4. WE WERE ABOUT

90KTS AND 1000’ AGL. WE WERE ROUGHLY ABEAM MIDFIELD WHEN WE SAW A BIRD COMING AT THE

PLANE FASTER THAN WE COULD PREVENT. I ABRUPTLY FORCED THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT DOWN TRYING TO

DODGE THE BIRD BUT A BIRD SLAMMED INTO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD BREAKING THE

WINDSHIELD AND CAUSING THE INSTRUMENT SWITCHES TO PERTRUDE INWARD. AS THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK

CONTROLS AND IMMEDIATELY DECLARED TO BE SURE WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE AIRCRAFT DOWN SAFELY. WE

LANDING SAFELY ON RUNWAY 36 AND NEITHER THE STUDENT OR PILOT WAS HARMED OR INJURED.

## 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 ERA24LA295](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24LA295), Jul 6, 2024: Piper PA-28-181 (N471A), Clearwater, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: An in-flight collision with a bird while flying in the airport traffic pattern.

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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