- Date
- September 20, 2025, 19:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Linden, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5914VPiper PA-28-161
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2025
- 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
- 20250920018789I
- Case key
- 201061
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 on approach.
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 flight instructor reported that, during the landing flare, a large bird impacted the leading edge of the right wing, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing structure. The student pilot was able to land safely on the intended runway. The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5914V
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7716214
- Built
- 1977
- Airframe hours
- 3,281.8
- Engine
- Lycoming Engines O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Luvsflying Flight Training LLC
- Registered owner
- Luvsflying Flight Training LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- LDJ · Linden, runway 09, 4,140 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B
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
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 20, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,130 total · 61 in this make and model · 775 as pilot in command · 61 in the last 90 days · 32.7 in the last 30 days · 1.8 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 14.5 total · 14.5 in this make and model · 14.5 in the last 90 days · 7.8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 150° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.29 inHg
- Observed at
- LDJ
- METAR
- METAR KLDJ 210115Z AUTO 15003KT 10SM CLR 19/12 A3029 RMK AO2 T01870123
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 4, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.6 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.