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ANC07CA017

2007-01-31 · Vero Beach, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

N760C has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (PIPER PA-32R-301T, built 2008), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

An in-flight collision with a bird while maneuvering, which resulted in structural damage to the left wing of the airplane.

Factual narrative

The private certificated pilot/owner, accompanied by a certificated flight instructor and a passenger, departed on a Title 14, CFR Part 91 local area instructional flight in a new, high performance airplane. As part of the purchase of the airplane, the instructor was providing transition training into the new airplane to the pilot/owner and the passenger. As the pilot was maneuvering the airplane in simulated instrument conditions, the left wing of the airplane was struck by a large bird. The collision resulted in structural damage to the wing, and a fuel leak when the left wing fuel tank was ruptured. An emergency landing was made at the departure airport. The private certificated pilot/owner, accompanied by a certificated flight instructor and a passenger, departed on a Title 14, CFR Part 91 local area instructional flight in a new, high performance airplane. As part of the purchase of the airplane, the instructor was providing transition training into the new airplane to the pilot/owner and the passenger. As the pilot was maneuvering the airplane in simulated instrument conditions, the left wing of the airplane was struck by a large bird. The collision resulted in structural damage to the wing, and a fuel leak when the left wing fuel tank was ruptured. An emergency landing was made at the departure airport. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2007_ANC07CA017.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.