What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
During a daytime VFR flight from gwinnett county airport in Georgia to titusville, Florida, the aircraft was transiting southbound along the coastline near jacksonville at approximately 3,500 feet. The pilot contacted Daytona approach to request transit through controlled airspace. ATC assigned a discrete transponder code and instructed the aircraft to descend to 1,000 feet to remain clear of a departure corridor. The pilot complied with the instruction.
Upon reaching 1,000 feet, traveling at approximately 175 KTS. The aircraft encountered a group of large black birds believed to be turkey vultures. The pilot reported that at least three, possibly four, birds passed directly in front of the aircraft with no time for avoidance. One bird struck the aircraft at the junction of the windscreen and the carbon-fiber fuselage structure, resulting in a catastrophic windscreen failure. The impact created a two-foot hole directly in front of the pilot’s seating position, dispersing acrylic fragments and feathers throughout the cockpit. The pilot sustained a 1.5-inch laceration to the forehead and several minor cuts from shattered windscreen debris. The passengers, seated in the rear, were uninjured, though one reported observing the interior headliner deflect downward from the force of the strike.
Despite the structural damage and presence of blood in the cockpit, the pilot maintained control of the aircraft. Because the aircraft was already at approximately pattern altitude and nearly aligned with a right-base approach to runway 25R at Daytona Beach International Airport, the pilot immediately declared an emergency and initiated a precautionary landing. ATC cleared the aircraft to land without delay. The landing was stable, on centerline, and without further incident. Airport rescue and firefighting (ARFF) units were positioned at the runway exit, and EMS personnel arrived shortly thereafter. The pilot declined medical transport after determining that the injuries were minor.
Following the event, the aircraft was secured and relocated to yelvington jet aviation, located at 2326 bellevue avenue, Daytona Beach, Florida, for further evaluation. As the assigned investigator-in-charge (iic), an on-site inspection was conducted to assess the extent of the structural damage. The primary impact area was located on the pilot-side windscreen and the adjoining bonded roll-cage assembly. Due to the severity and location of the damage, the iic consulted the Cirrus aircraft safety inspector (ASI) for technical evaluation. The Cirrus ASI advised that the affected area is a non-repairable structural zone, stating that the damage involves a critical portion of the bonded roll cage.
As the FAA filed it
DURING A DAYTIME VFR FLIGHT FROM GWINNETT COUNTY AIRPORT IN GEORGIA TO TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA, THE AIRCRAFT WAS TRANSITING SOUTHBOUND ALONG THE COASTLINE NEAR JACKSONVILLE AT APPROXIMATELY 3,500 FEET. THE PILOT CONTACTED DAYTONA APPROACH TO REQUEST TRANSIT THROUGH CONTROLLED AIRSPACE. ATC ASSIGNED A DISCRETE TRANSPONDER CODE AND INSTRUCTED THE AIRCRAFT TO DESCEND TO 1,000 FEET TO REMAIN CLEAR OF A DEPARTURE CORRIDOR. THE PILOT COMPLIED WITH THE INSTRUCTION.
UPON REACHING 1,000 FEET, TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 175 KTS. THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED A GROUP OF LARGE BLACK BIRDS BELIEVED TO BE TURKEY VULTURES. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT AT LEAST THREE, POSSIBLY FOUR, BIRDS PASSED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT WITH NO TIME FOR AVOIDANCE. ONE BIRD STRUCK THE AIRCRAFT AT THE JUNCTION OF THE WINDSCREEN AND THE CARBON-FIBER FUSELAGE STRUCTURE, RESULTING IN A CATASTROPHIC WINDSCREEN FAILURE. THE IMPACT CREATED A TWO-FOOT HOLE DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE PILOT’S SEATING POSITION, DISPERSING ACRYLIC FRAGMENTS AND FEATHERS THROUGHOUT THE COCKPIT. THE PILOT SUSTAINED A 1.5-INCH LACERATION TO THE FOREHEAD AND SEVERAL MINOR CUTS FROM SHATTERED WINDSCREEN DEBRIS. THE PASSENGERS, SEATED IN THE REAR, WERE UNINJURED, THOUGH ONE REPORTED OBSERVING THE INTERIOR HEADLINER DEFLECT DOWNWARD FROM THE FORCE OF THE STRIKE.
DESPITE THE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AND PRESENCE OF BLOOD IN THE COCKPIT, THE PILOT MAINTAINED CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. BECAUSE THE AIRCRAFT WAS ALREADY AT APPROXIMATELY PATTERN ALTITUDE AND NEARLY ALIGNED WITH A RIGHT-BASE APPROACH TO RUNWAY 25R AT DAYTONA BEACH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND INITIATED A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. ATC CLEARED THE AIRCRAFT TO LAND WITHOUT DELAY. THE LANDING WAS STABLE, ON CENTERLINE, AND WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AIRPORT RESCUE AND FIREFIGHTING (ARFF) UNITS WERE POSITIONED AT THE RUNWAY EXIT, AND EMS PERSONNEL ARRIVED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE PILOT DECLINED MEDICAL TRANSPORT AFTER DETERMINING THAT THE INJURIES WERE MINOR.
FOLLOWING THE EVENT, THE AIRCRAFT WAS SECURED AND RELOCATED TO YELVINGTON JET AVIATION, LOCATED AT 2326 BELLEVUE AVENUE, DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA, FOR FURTHER EVALUATION. AS THE ASSIGNED INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE (IIC), AN ON-SITE INSPECTION WAS CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THE EXTENT OF THE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. THE PRIMARY IMPACT AREA WAS LOCATED ON THE PILOT-SIDE WINDSCREEN AND THE ADJOINING BONDED ROLL-CAGE ASSEMBLY. DUE TO THE SEVERITY AND LOCATION OF THE DAMAGE, THE IIC CONSULTED THE CIRRUS AIRCRAFT SAFETY INSPECTOR (ASI) FOR TECHNICAL EVALUATION. THE CIRRUS ASI ADVISED THAT THE AFFECTED AREA IS A NON-REPAIRABLE STRUCTURAL ZONE, STATING THAT THE DAMAGE INVOLVES A CRITICAL PORTION OF THE BONDED ROLL CAGE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.