20260117000119I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172S · Palm Coast, FL · January 17, 2026

Date: January 17, 2026 · 13:50 local
Place: Palm Coast, FL
Airport: Palm Coast
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator: IHMS
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N61237
Reported as: Cessna 172S
Reported engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,700 total

N61237Registered now · Cessna 172SS/N 172S10674 · Built 2008 Airframe modelCessna 172S Engine modelLycoming IO-360-L2AReciprocating

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.

Palm Coast, FL (fin): a C172 struck a bird while departing runway 11 and returned to fin. Aircraft landed without incident. Pilot reported damage to the right wing. POB: unknown, injuries: none, damage: extent unknown. 01/17/2026 1350 EST.

Pilot statement: on takeoff approx at 200FT we saw birds on the departure end of the ruwnay. We tried levelling off and banking away but the bird dived down and hit our right wing. I took control of the aircraft, climbed up and reported to ATC. We did a pattern and landed safely. Tower requested information from me and I contacted the tower after tying the plane down.

As the FAA filed it

PALM COAST, FL (FIN): A C172 STRUCK A BIRD WHILE DEPARTING RUNWAY 11 AND RETURNED TO FIN. AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. PILOT REPORTED DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING. POB: UNKNOWN, INJURIES: NONE, DAMAGE: EXTENT UNKNOWN. 01/17/2026 1350 EST.

PILOT STATEMENT: ON TAKEOFF APPROX AT 200FT WE SAW BIRDS ON THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUWNAY. WE TRIED LEVELLING OFF AND BANKING AWAY BUT THE BIRD DIVED DOWN AND HIT OUR RIGHT WING. I TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, CLIMBED UP AND REPORTED TO ATC. WE DID A PATTERN AND LANDED SAFELY. TOWER REQUESTED INFORMATION FROM ME AND I CONTACTED THE TOWER AFTER TYING THE PLANE DOWN.