- Date
- March 30, 2006, 10:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Victorville, CA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7086ZPiper PA-31-310
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 29, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20060330028469I
- Case key
- 63482
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.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
A large bird impacted the left wing of the airplane, resulting in substantial damage. During climb out the pilot encountered a flock of birds, and as he attempted to maneuver around the birds, one collided with the left wing, outboard of the left engine. The pilot returned to his departure airport for a precautionary landing. As he slowed the airplane to land, the left wing became unstable and tried to drop. He continued his approach to the runway at a higher than normal speed and landed uneventfully.
Factual narrative
On March 30, 2007, at 1030 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-31-310, N7086Z, collided in flight with a large bird 15 miles north of Victorville and made a precautionary landing at Southern California Logistics Airport, Victorville, California. Maricopa County Sheriff's Office was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane sustained substantial damage; the commercial pilot and three passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The pilot departed from Victorville and was destined for Fresno Yosemite International Airport, Fresno, California.
In a written statement, the pilot reported that during climb out, the flight encountered a flock of birds. He attempted to maneuver around the birds; however, one collided with the left wing, outboard of the left engine. The pilot elected to return to Victorville for a precautionary landing. As he slowed the airplane to land, the left wing became unstable and tried to drop. He continued his approach to the runway at a higher than normal speed and landed uneventfully.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7086Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-310
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7812083
- Airframe hours
- 6,753.1
- Engines
- Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming TIO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 1, 2006 · 41.8 hours before
- Departed
- VCV · Victorville, CA
- Destination
- KFAT · Fresno, CA
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
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 1, 2005
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,498 total · 900 in this make and model · 5,410 as pilot in command · 85 in the last 90 days · 29 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.