- Date
- March 29, 2026, 11:29 local (15:29 UTC)
- Place
- Greenville, SC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2333RPiper PA-28-180
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 7, 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
- 20260329002639I
- Case key
- 202737
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 during cruise flight.
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 reported that while in cruise flight at an altitude of about 1,800 ft, he heard a loud bang. After determining that the airplane was still flying normally, he looked at the right wing and saw damage to the outboard leading edge. He turned the airplane around, returned to the departure airport, and landed safely. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the right wing had been substantially damaged consistent with a bird strike.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2333R
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-5491
- Built
- 1969
- Airframe hours
- 3,182
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 1, 2026 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- GMU · Greenville, SC
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Handheld GPS
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
- August 17, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 619 total · 503 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.61 inHg
- Observed at
- KGYH, 6 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KGYH 291447Z 06010KT 10SM CLR 11/M07 A3061
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.