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Atlas / NTSB / CEN10CA202

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event CEN10CA202

2010-04-11 Middlefield, Ohio, United States None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N6314P

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

PIPER PA-24-180

Year of manufacture

1959 · 51 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19591111

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A84465

Registrant of record

KRUZA ELMAR A

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The inadvertent in-flight collision with a bird.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane collided with an eagle while descending through 2,700 feet. After the bird strike, he diverted to a nearby airport and made an uneventful landing. A postaccident inspection revealed that the airplane had received substantial damage to the engine firewall and right cockpit windshield. All observed damage was consistent with the airplane colliding with a bird while in flight. The pilot reported that the airplane collided with an eagle during cruise flight while descending through 2,700 feet. After the bird strike, he diverted to a nearby airport and made an uneventful landing. A postaccident inspection revealed that the airplane had received substantial damage to the engine firewall and right cockpit windshield. All observed damage was consistent with the airplane colliding with a bird while in flight. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Effect on equipment - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_CEN10CA202.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.