- Date
- July 6, 2024, 13:14 local (17:14 UTC)
- Place
- Clearwater, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N471APiper PA-28-181
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: 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
- 20240706007209A
- Case key
- 194630
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 in-flight collision with a bird while flying in the airport traffic pattern.
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 student pilot reported that after completing multiple uneventful touch-and-go landings they were on the downwind leg in the traffic pattern. While flying at an airspeed of about 90 kts and at 1,000 ft agl, he spotted a bird directly in front of the airplane. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and abruptly pushed the control stick to try and avoid the bird. The student pilot described seeing the bird also enter a dive before it struck the top of the windshield, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage above the windshield. The flight instructor declared an emergency and landed without further issue. Both pilots reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N471A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2843743
- Built
- 2013
- Airframe hours
- 7,620
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- ATP Flight School
- Registered owner
- Archer Aircraft LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 5, 2024 · 6.3 hours before
- Departed
- PIE · Clearwater, FL
- Airport
- PIE · St Pete-Clearwater Intl, runway 36, 9,730 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight 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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 25, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 1,199.7 total · 938.5 in this make and model · 1,068.4 as pilot in command · 359.2 in the last 90 days · 166.3 in the last 30 days · 7.5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 10 total · 10 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- PIE, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KPIE 061653Z 07007KT 10SM CLR 33/24 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP149 T03280244
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 4, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.4 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.