- Date
- June 24, 2023, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Macon, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N285MGPiper PA-28R-201
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern crosswind: 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
- 20230624010919A
- Case key
- 192663
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.
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
According to the pilot receiving instruction, he had initiated the upwind-to-crosswind turn in the airport traffic pattern. With the left wing raised in the right turn, a bird came into the pilot’s view and struck the left wing before the pilot could initiate an evasive maneuver. The flight instructor assumed control of the airplane, completed the traffic pattern and the landing without injury to the occupants or damage beyond that resulting from the bird strike. Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the left wing was substantially damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N285MG
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-201
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2844167
- Built
- 2017
- Airframe hours
- 2,513.9
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C6, 200 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Middle Georgia State University
- Registered owner
- Georgia Aviation Authority
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 7, 2023
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- MAC · Macon Downtown, runway 28, 4,694 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 21, 2022
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 757 total · 201 in this make and model · 686 as pilot in command · 188 in the last 90 days · 68 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 20, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 274 total · 50 in this make and model · 211 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- MCN, 9 nm away
- METAR
- KMCN 241953Z 28008KT 10SM FEW060 SCT085 32/18 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP142 T03170183
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 31, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 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.