- Date
- November 16, 2020, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Greenville, NC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N30BXAmerican Legend AL3
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20201116014869A
- Case key
- 102311
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 airplane’s collision with a bird during initial climb, which resulted in a forced landing.
Findings · 1
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
The pilot stated that he and his friend, who is also a flight instructor, were performing touch-and-go landings at different airports. After his last touch-and-go, and during climb out, he saw some turkey buzzards flying above the airplane. He decided to turn to the right to avoid the birds but one of the buzzards hit the propeller and the airplane started to violently shake. The flight instructor, seated in the rear seat, shut off the engine and took over control of the airplane. The flight instructor then located a field to land in. They landed with a tailwind and during the landing roll, they were getting close to some trees at the end of the field. The pilot was not sure if he depressed the brakes or the flight instructor did, or they both did, but the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted about 40 feet away from the trees, resulting in substantial damage to the rudder and wings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30BX
- Reported as
- American Legend AL3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AL-1095
- Built
- 2007
- Airframe hours
- 1,184.5
- Engine
- Continenental O-200-A48, 100 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 2, 2020
- Departed
- PGV · Greenville, NC
- Destination
- DSN · Winterville, NC
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Handheld GPS
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- November 3, 2018
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 300 in this make and model
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 3,517 total · 895 in this make and model · 137 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- KPGV, 2 nm away
- METAR
- KPGV 162015Z AUTO 30006KT 10SM CLR 17/M01 A3013 RMK AO2
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 24, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.