N59798 – PIPER PA-31-350 – 2011-06-30 NTSB Accident Report

On June 30, 2011, a Piper PA-31-350 (N59798) was involved in an incident near Casper, WY. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: An in-flight collision with a bird at low altitude.

The pilot stated he was landing on runway 21 and was approximately 5 to 10 feet from touchdown when a large bird hit and broke the front center windshield of his airplane. With the bird covering his entire windscreen the pilot reacted by quickly moving his body to the right to avoid the bird, which had penetrated the windscreen. Subsequently the airplane's left wing came into contact with the runway surface causing the airplane to nose into the ground, severely damaging the left wing, collapsing the left landing gear, and bending both propellers. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions of failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.

This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR11CA299. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N59798.