NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA13CA240
Registry · N8390K
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-44-180T
Year of manufacture
1981 · 32 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING TSIO-360SER (215 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19820310
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB7C2B
Registrant of record
WINGSLEASING LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
An in-flight collision with a bird.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, while en route to the destination airport at an altitude of 1,700 feet, a large bird struck the right horizontal stabilizer resulting in substantial damage. The pilot declared an emergency, diverted, and landed the airplane without further incident. According to the pilot, while at an altitude of 1,700 feet mean sea level, a large bird struck the right horizontal stabilizer, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot declared an emergency, diverted, and landed the airplane without further incident. 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_2013_ERA13CA240.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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