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GAA15CA220

2015-07-23 · Apopka, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport X04

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

Following a bird strike during takeoff, the pilot's decision to land without sufficient runway remaining to safely stop the airplane, which resulted in an over-run, collision with terrain, and nose over.

Factual narrative

During the takeoff following a touch-and-go landing, a flight of birds flew in front of the airplane and caused a bird strike on the ride side of the airplane. The pilot aborted the takeoff, landed on the runway, and was unable to stop as he reported there was "no runway distance for safe landing." The airplane departed the end of the runway, impacted terrain, and nosed over. The airplane sustained minor damage from the bird strike, and substantial damage to the fuselage and to the empennage during the accident. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. During the takeoff following a touch-and-go landing, a flight of birds flew in front of the airplane and caused a bird strike on the right side of the airplane. The pilot aborted the takeoff, landed on the runway, and was unable to stop as he reported there was "no runway distance for safe landing." The airplane departed the end of the runway, impacted terrain, and nosed over. The airplane sustained minor damage from the bird strike, and substantial damage to the fuselage and to the empennage during the accident. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Surface speed/braking-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Effect on operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_GAA15CA220.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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