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ERA22LA124

2022-02-06 · Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport RWI

Current FAA registration · N9382D

Make / Model
CESSNA 172RG
Year of manufacture
1983 · 39 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19830907
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AD0603

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

An inflight collision with a bird, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that as he was turning on the left downwind leg, he observed 5 or 6 large birds about 200 ft ahead of him, which appeared to be moving mostly downward and to the left of his heading. He attempted to climb and turn right to avoid them, but impacted one of the birds with the airplane’s left wing, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Aircraft structures-Wing structure-(general)-Damaged/degraded
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Effect on equipment

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_ERA22LA124.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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