- Date
- April 2, 1989, 20:30 local (Apr 3, 1989, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Odenton, MD
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8027LCessna 172H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report August 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11495
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The inflight collision with birds.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft collided with birds during cruise flight at 1,800 ft MSL at night. Three olds quaws (ducks) which averaged 1 1/2 pounds each contacted the acft. One hit the upper leading edge section of the left wing. One contacted and removed aprx 70 percent of the windshield primarily on the pilot's side and the other contacted the upper windshield/frame area on the passenger side. A forced landing was successfully accomplished at ft. meade.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8027L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17256227
- Airframe hours
- 1,289
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Malcolm R. Van'Kirk, Sr.
- Registered owner
- Malcolm J. Van Kirk
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1988 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- FDK · Frederick, MD
- Destination
- SBY · Salisbury, MD
- Airport
- FME · Tipton Aaf, runway 28, 3,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 401 total · 325 in this make and model · 257 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F