- Date
- September 24, 2017, 12:06 local (16:06 UTC)
- Place
- Bridgeton, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7675KAerotrike Safari
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20170924019849A
- Case key
- 96087
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
The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing while conducting an off-airport precautionary landing after a bird strike.
Findings · 3
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 of the weight-shift-control aircraft reported that, during the base leg turn, a flock of small birds entered the flightpath, and he banked to avoid them. He added that, a moment later, a larger bird struck the support cable on the right wing. No control issues were evident; however, he decided to land in a cleared field to check the structure for damage. During the landing, the nosewheel hit the ground hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the weight-shift-control aircraft that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the weight-shift-control aircraft reported that, during the base leg turn, a flock of small birds entered the flight path and he banked to avoid them. He added that, a moment later a larger bird struck the support cable on the right wing. No control issues were evident, however, he decided to land in a cleared field to check the structure for damage. Subsequently, during the landing in the field, the nosewheel hit the ground hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the weight-shift-control aircraft that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7675K
- Reported as
- Aerotrike Safari (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Weight-shift
- Serial number
- 270S
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 602
- Engine
- Rotax 503, 52 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 20, 2017
- Departed
- JY17 · Bridgeton, NJ
- Destination
- JY17 · Bridgeton, NJ
- Airport
- JY17 · Woodcrest Farms Airstrip
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Airframe parachute
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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- October 10, 2016
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 750 total · 650 in this make and model · 650 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KMIV, 11 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 16, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 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.