- Date
- October 21, 2000, 11:40 local (15:40 UTC)
- Place
- Daytona Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N928ERPiper PA-44-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 19, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20001021041209A
- Case key
- 50551
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 inadvertent inflight collision with a bird during cruise flight that resulted in substantial damage to the airplane.
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
The flight instructor stated that the aircraft was in level flight, at an altitude of about 2,000 feet, when a large bird impacted the outboard section of the right wing's leading edge. The instructor then declared an emergency, took control of the airplane from the student, and executing a precautionary landing at Spruce Creek, Florida. Post accident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the aircraft as a result of the bird strike.
Factual narrative
On October 21, 2000, about 1140 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-44-180, N928ER, registered to and operated by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight experienced a bird strike while en route to Daytona Beach, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft incurred substantial damage. The commercial-rated flight instructor, and dual student were not injured. The flight originated from New Smyrna Beach, Florida, the same day, about 1000.
The flight instructor stated that the aircraft was in level flight, at an altitude of about 2,000 feet, when a large bird impacted the outboard section of the right wing's leading edge. The instructor further stated that after the impact, he saw a hole in the leading edge of the wing, so he declared an emergency, took control of the airplane from the student, and executing a precautionary landing at Spruce Creek, Florida. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the aircraft as a result of the bird strike.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N928ER
- Reported as
- Piper PA-44-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4496026
- Airframe hours
- 1,172
- Engine
- Lycoming LO-360-A1H6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Embry Riddle Aeronautical Univ
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 13, 2000 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- EVB · New Smyrna Beac, FL
- Destination
- DAB · FL
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
- 29
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,282 total · 89 in this make and model · 1,175 as pilot in command · 147 in the last 90 days · 65 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAB, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.