NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA18CA357
Registry · N8646V
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BELLANCA 7ECA
Year of manufacture
1975 · 43 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES (115 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19750424
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ABE0F1
Registrant of record
GAUTNIER MARK A
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The airplane’s collision with a bird while maneuvering.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, a bird struck the airplane's windscreen when he was practicing a steep turn. The airplane remained controllable, and he returned to the airport and landed without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the windscreen, windows and greenhouse. A post-accident examination of the airplane by Federal Aviation Administration, Aviation Safety Inspectors revealed that the greenhouse had been installed incorrectly. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot, a bird struck the airplane's windscreen when he was practicing a steep turn. The airplane remained controllable, and he returned to the airport and landed without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the windscreen, windows, and skylight. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector revealed that the skylight had been installed incorrectly. The pilot reported that there were no 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).
- C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Effect on equipment - 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_2018_GAA18CA357.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (icing, stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
An Evaluation of an Analytical Simulation of an Airplane with Tailplane Icing by Comparison to Flight Data
This report presents the assessment of an analytical tool developed as part of the NASA/FAA Tailplane Icing Program. The analytical tool is a specialized simulation program called TAILSM4 which was de…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Publication (TP)
NASA/FAA Tailplane Icing Program: Flight Test Report
This report presents results from research flights that explored the characteristics of an ice-contaminated tailplane using various simulated ice shapes attached to the leading edge of the horizontal …
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Other
[Tail Plane Icing]
The Aviation Safety Program initiated by NASA in 1997 has put greater emphasis in safety related research activities. Ice-contaminated-tailplane stall (ICTS) has been identified by the NASA Lewis Icin…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2019 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Airport Policing in Pakistan: Structure, Training, and Issue
Airports are strategically and economically important installations of any country. Airports are the gateway of any country and any incidents at these gateways may harm the very aspects of a country i…
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