Skip to content

WPR24LA049

2023-11-29 · Watsonville, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport WVI

Current FAA registration · N6212F

Make / Model
CESSNA 172N
Year of manufacture
1979 · 44 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19790824
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A81C98

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

An in-flight collision with a bird while in the initial climb.

Factual narrative

The flight instructor reported that during an instructional flight, while in the initial climb, a bird impacted the leading edge of the left horizontal stabilizer. The flight instructor assumed the controls and was able to land safely at the destination airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer. 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)-Ability to respond/compensate
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Effect on equipment

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_WPR24LA049.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.