# Incident 20260417002589I: Cessna 172S, Madisonville, TX, April 17, 2026

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 17, 2026, 07:15 local time
- Place: Madisonville, TX
- Airport: Madisonville Municipal
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Operator: 9CFS
- Location: 30.9128° N, 95.9520° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at MADISONVILLE MUNI (51R), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.9128&lon=-95.9520&mi=10
- Aircraft: N354CT, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N354CT) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172S (registry code 2072439, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (registry code 41597, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-l2a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172S
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-360-L2A
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 762 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260417002589I

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED CLL TRAVELLING TO 51R WITH STUDENT PILOT AT CONTROLS, AND INSTRUCTOR IN RIGHT SEAT.  UPON ARRIVAL AT 51R, PILOT WAS LANDING AND IN GROUND EFFECT BEFORE TOUCHDOWN WHEN THEY SIGHTED A LARGE BIRD HEADING DIRECTLY TOWARDS THEM ON THE RUNWAY.  THE BIRD (VULTURE OR TURKEY BUZZARD) HAD EMERGED FROM THE NEARBY WOODED AREA.  THE CFI INSTRUCTED THE STUDENT PILOT TO INITIATE A "GO-AROUND" TO AVOID THE BIRD.  UPON CLIMB-OUT, THE BIRD ASCENDED UPWARDS TO MATCH THE AIRCRAFTS CLIMB AND STRUCK THE RIGHT-HAND WING LEADING EDGE APPROXIMATELY TWO FEET OUTBOARD FROM THE WING STRUT.  PILOT AND INSTRUCTOR WERE ABLE TO COMPLETE GO-AROUND AND SAFELY LANDED BACK AT THE AIRPORT.

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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