- Date
- February 6, 2022, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Rocky Mount, NC · Turning Left Downwind Rwy 4 at KRWI
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9382DCessna 172RG
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern downwind: 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 / FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220206002819A
- Case key
- 104647
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
An inflight collision with a bird, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.
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
The pilot reported that as he was turning on the left downwind leg, he observed 5 or 6 large birds about 200 ft ahead of him, which appeared to be moving mostly downward and to the left of his heading. He attempted to climb and turn right to avoid them, but impacted one of the birds with the airplane’s left wing, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9382D
- Reported as
- Cessna 172RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172RG1145
- Built
- 1983
- Airframe hours
- 8,317
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-F1A6, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Total Flight Solutions
- Registered owner
- N9382d LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 30, 2021
- Departed
- LHZ · Louisburg, NC
- Destination
- RWI · Rocky Mount, NC
- Airport
- RWI · Rocky Mount / Wilson Regional, runway 4, 7,099 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Satellite tracking device, Handheld GPS, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 30, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 97 total · 11 in this make and model · 23 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,600 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.42 inHg
- Observed at
- KRWI
- METAR
- METAR KRWI 061953Z AUTO 03006KT 10SM BKN046 08/M06 A3042 RMK AO2 SLP301 T00781061
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 25, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 9.3 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.