NTSB ERA24LA295 — 2024-07-06 · Clearwater, Florida, United States

Current FAA registration · N471A

Make / Model: PIPER PA-28-181
Year of manufacture: 2013 · 11 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING O-360-A4M (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 20131122
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A5C4D1

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N471A Piper PA-28-181 None

Probable cause & findings

An in-flight collision with a bird while flying in the airport traffic pattern.

Factual narrative

The student pilot reported that after completing multiple uneventful touch-and-go landings they were on the downwind leg in the traffic pattern. While flying at an airspeed of about 90 kts and at 1,000 ft agl, he spotted a bird directly in front of the airplane. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and abruptly pushed the control stick to try and avoid the bird. The student pilot described seeing the bird also enter a dive before it struck the top of the windshield, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage above the windshield. The flight instructor declared an emergency and landed without further issue. Both pilots reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2024_ERA24LA295.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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