- Date
- March 24, 2019, 14:27 local (18:27 UTC)
- Place
- Tampa, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N976AZPiper PA23
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 6, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190324001969A
- Case key
- 99176
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 the approach, which resulted in damage to the vertical stabilizer.
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 of the multiengine airplane reported that, on a descending vector for a visual instrument landing system approach on an instrument flight rules flight plan, about 2,500 to 2,800 ft mean sea level, he "felt the aircraft shudder along with a loud bang." He then disengaged the autopilot to determine if the flight controls were affected and looked for damage on the wing and nose area; he saw no damage. The pilot continued to the airport and landed without further incident. During the landing, the pilot of a waiting aircraft reported that he saw damage to the accident airplane's vertical stabilizer that looked like a bird had hit it. During postaccident examination, blood and tissue were found on the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the multiengine airplane reported that, on a descending vector for a visual instrument landing system approach on an instrument flight rules flight plan, about 2500 to 2800 ft mean sea level, he "felt the aircraft shudder along with a loud bang." He then disengaged the autopilot to determine if the flight controls were affected and looked for damage on the wing and nose area; no damage was observed. The pilot further reported that he continued to the airport and landed without further incident. During the landing, a waiting aircraft reported they saw damage to the vertical stabilizer. The airplane sustained substantial damaged to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N976AZ
- Reported as
- Piper PA23 (250)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-7654200
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 1,514.7
- Engines
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mtn Aviation Llc
- Registered owner
- Mtn Aviation Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 28, 2018
- Departed
- F45 · West Palm Beach, FL
- Destination
- TPA · Tampa, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- TPA · Tampa Intl, runway 19L, 8,300 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Auto-pilot
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 18, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 21,218 total · 866 in this make and model · 21,018 as pilot in command · 166 in the last 90 days · 52 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- KTPA, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 10, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.2 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.