- Date
- February 1, 2009, 10:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ferriday, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3628TSchweizer G-164B
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 73317
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 pilot's loss of control following an impact with birds.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
While on short final, the bi-wing airplane impacted a flock of birds. Bird residue penetrated the windscreen and impacted the pilot in the face. Temporarily blinded, the pilot attempted a go-around maneuver, but the airplane impacted the runway, nosed over, and came to rest in an inverted position. The airplane's fuselage sustained structural damage during the accident.
Factual narrative
While on short final the bi-wing airplane impacted a flock of birds. Bird residue penetrated the windscreen and impacted the pilot in the face. Temporarily blinded, the pilot attempted a go-around maneuver, but the airplane impacted the runway, nosed over, and came to rest in an inverted position. The airplane's fuselage sustained structural damage during the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3628T
- Reported as
- Schweizer G-164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 737B
- Airframe hours
- 9,102
- Engine
- P&W R1340 SERIES, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Dons Air Service Inc
- Registered owner
- Dons Air Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 29, 2008
- Departed
- PVT · Ferriday, LA
- Destination
- PVT · Ferriday, LA
- Airport
- PVT · Private Airstrip, runway 17, grass/turf
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
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 20, 2008
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 6,624 total · 635 in this make and model · 2,860 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
Other investigations on N3628T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.