NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA24LA295
Registry · N471A
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
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
Registrant of record
ARCHER AIRCRAFT LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
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
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or 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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