- Date
- October 22, 2003, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pierson, FL
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N94445Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20031022032449A
- Case key
- 58267
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
In flight collision with a bird, resulting in airplane not being able to maintain altitude and nosing over during a forced landing on unsuitable terrain.
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 student pilot was practicing ground maneuvers near Lake Disston, located near Pierson, Florida, while coming out of a left turn at 1,000 feet and an indicated airspeed of 90 knots the airplane experienced a bird strike. The CFI stated the windshield was missing and he could not maintain altitude after he applied full throttle. He declared an emergency and secured the engine. The airplane impacted the intended landing field nose first and came to a halt inverted. A representative from the Smithsonian Institution identified the bird as a Black Vulture, which has a weight range between 42 and 75 ounces.
Factual narrative
On October 22, 2003, about 1130 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N94445, registered to Daytona Aircraft Leasing Inc., and operated by Phoenix East Aviation Inc., as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, experienced a bird strike, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing near Lake Disston, Pierson, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The commercial-rated pilot/certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot both reported minor injuries. The flight had departed from Daytona Beach, Florida, the same day at 1030.
According to the FAA inspector at the scene, the airplane was found inverted, a quarter of the windshield was recovered, the nose and main landing gears were broken, the vertical stabilizer and bottom of fuselage were found buckled. A bird was found in the airplane. A feather was retained for identification of the bird.
The CFI stated that the student was practicing ground reference maneuvers and at about 1130, at 1,000 feet at an indicated airspeed of 90 knots while coming out of a left turn, a "sudden loud noise followed by debris was felt in the cockpit." The CFI stated the airplane was missing the windshield and he could not maintain altitude after applying full throttle. The pilot declared an emergency and secured the engine. The airplane impacted a field nose first and came to a halt inverted.
Dr. Carla Dove of the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, DC, identified the feather to have belonged to a Black Vulture, which has a weight range between 42 and 75 ounces.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N94445
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15285671
- Airframe hours
- 11,918.2
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-N2C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Phoenix East Aviation Inc.
- Registered owner
- Daytona Aircraft Leasing INC.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 27, 2003 · 49.1 hours before
- Departed
- KDAB · Daytona Beach, 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Last flight review
- December 30, 2002
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 571 total · 183 in this make and model · 515 as pilot in command · 127 in the last 90 days · 59 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 51 total · 51 in this make and model · 51 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.