NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA18CA435
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The airplane’s collision with a bird during approach.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during approach, he observed a bird flying in the vicinity and then heard a "thump" and felt an impact above his head. The pilot landed the airplane without further incident. A postaccident examination revealed that a bird had impacted the airplane's vertical stabilizer, which sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, during approach, he observed a bird flying nearby and then heard a "thump" and felt an impact above his head. The pilot landed the airplane without further incident. Postaccident examination revealed that a bird had impacted the airplane's vertical stabilizer, which sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2018_GAA18CA435.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. Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Reports 2022 · Accident report
Loss of Control on Takeoff in Icing Conditions — Citation 560XL
Cessna Citation 560XL fatal takeoff icing accident, March 2018. Investigation of a Citation 560XL loss-of-control takeoff accident in icing conditions.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Rollout and Turnoff (ROTO) Guidance and Information Displays: Effect on Runway Occupancy Time in Simulated Low-Visibility Landings
This report examines a rollout and turnoff (ROTO) system for reducing the runway occupancy time for transport aircraft in low-visibility weather.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2014 · Conference paper
FAA Safety Seminar (Open to the General Public)
This seminar will focus on reducing the aviation accident rate through the enhancement of safety culture. Human factors influences on accident and incidents will also be discussed with an emphasis on …
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2010 · Journal article (JAAER)
The Future of Women in Aviation: Trends in Participation in Postsecondary Aviation Education
The purpose of this research was to evaluate the trends in participation by women in postsecondary aviation programs in the United States both at the student and faculty levels.
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