- Date
- March 27, 2026, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Daytona Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N41CACirrus Design SR22
- Defining event
- Enroute-change of cruise level: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 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
- 20260327002459A
- Case key
- 202752
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 enroute.
Findings · 2
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 during the enroute portion of the flight, he received instructions from air traffic control to descend to an altitude of 1,000 ft for departing traffic. Shortly after executing the descent, several birds suddenly appeared in front of the airplane leaving no time to take evasive action. One of the birds impacted, the airplane’s left-side windshield and roof structure, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot declared an emergency and landed uneventfully at a nearby airport.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41CA
- Reported as
- Cirrus Design SR22
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4559
- Built
- 2017
- Airframe hours
- 800.4
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-550-N -68B, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 16, 2026 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- LZU · Lawrenceville, GA
- Destination
- TIX · Titusville, FL
- Airport
- DAB · Daytona International Airport, runway 25R, 10,500 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Data recorder, Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, Airframe parachute, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 26, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,178 total · 774 in this make and model · 1,108 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- DAB, 1 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KDAB 271453Z 25004KT 10SM CLR 25/18 A3017 RMK AO2 SLP214 T02500178 51011
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 22, 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.