Service difficulty report · Skin · Piper PA46500TP

Difficulty date
May 1, 2024
Submitted
May 15, 2024
Operation
Air carrier
Aircraft
N4416P
Make and model
Piper PA46500TP
Aircraft serial
4697549
Aircraft time
1,133 hours, 933 cycles
Engine
Pwc PT6A42A
Engine time
1,133 hours, 906 cycles
Propeller
Hartzl HCE4N3
Part
Skin
Part number
83189036
Condition
Dented
Location
Lt Wing Le
Part time
1,133 hours, 933 cycles
Stage of operation
CL
How discovered
V
Nature of condition
C
Precautionary procedure
A

As reported to the FAA. Reports are unverified, and codes are left as the FAA publishes them.

What was found

AIRCRAFT SUFFERED A BIRDSTRIKE ON CLIMB OUT FROM KCXY. ACFT CLIMBING THRU 2000 FT MSL WITH AUTOPILOT ENGAGED. CLIMB SPEED 140 KTS INDICATED CLIMB RATE APPROX 1700 FPM. ACFT ON AN APPROX HEADING OF 260 WHEN ATC ASSIGNED A LT TURN TO 180 FOR OUR CLIMB TO 8000 FT. AFTER TURN COMMAND INPUTTED TO AUTOPILOT, PILOT MONITORING LOOK OUTSIDE AFTER VERIFYING THE PROPER AUTOPILOT INPUT MADE & NOTICED A BALD EAGLE ABOVE AND TO OUR LEFT OF 12 O'CLOCK POSITION. BEFORE THE PILOT FLYING COULD GET THE WORDS OUT TO ALERT OF THE BIRD. THE BIRD TUCKED ITS WINGS AND DOVE DOWN STRIKING THE UPPER PORTION OF THE LEADING EDGE ON THE LEFT OUTBOARD WING PANEL APPROXIMATELY 12 INCHES OUTBOARD OF THE WING SPLICE AREA. THE PILOT FLYING LEVELED OFF THE PLANE AT 3000 FEET AND NOTIFIED ATC OF THE NEED TO RETURN TO KCXY AND NATURE OF THE PROBLEM WAS A BIRD STRIKE. THE BIRD REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE WING AND THE WING SUFFERED A SIGNIFICANT DENT TO THE LEADING EDGE. AIRCRAFT CONTROL WAS MAINTAINED. WITH A NOTICEABLE LEFT ROLLING TENDENCY AFTER THE AUTOPILOT WAS DISCONNECTED. AIRCRAFT SAFELY LANDED BACK AT KCXY. INSPECTION OF THE WING AFTER LANDING REVEALED NO FUEL LEAKS OR BREACHES OF THE SKIN.

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