- Date
- December 21, 2025, 10:41 local (15:41 UTC)
- Place
- Pembroke Pines, FL · 8 MILES WEST OF HWO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N156WMPiper PA44
- Defining event
- Approach: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 14, 2026
- 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
- 20251221019769A
- Case key
- 202232
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 to the destination airport.
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 and the flight instructor were approaching the destination airport for landing when they noticed a large flock of birds. The flight instructor reported that, while maneuvering to avoid the birds, one of the birds struck the left side of the airplane’s stabilator, substantially damaging it. The pilots subsequently landed the airplane at the destination airport.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N156WM
- Reported as
- Piper PA44 (180)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4496156
- Built
- 2002
- Airframe hours
- 10,922
- Engines
- Lycoming O&VO-360 SER, 180 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming O&VO-360 SER, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Fixed Wing Holding Company Inc
- Registered owner
- Fixed Wing Holding Company Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 17, 2025
- Departed
- HWO · Hollywood, FL
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- HWO · North Perry
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 29
- 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
- January 14, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,397 total · 409 in this make and model · 2,303 as pilot in command · 126 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 17, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 278 total · 17 in this make and model · 197 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- KHWO, 8 nm away
- METAR
- KHWO 211553Z VRB03KT 10SM FEW026 SCT036 SCT044 26/20 A3018 RMK AO2 SLP221 T02560200 PWINO $
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 14, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.3 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.
Other investigations on N156WM · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.