Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The airplane’s collision with multiple birds during initial climb, which damaged the propeller and resulted in a subsequent aerodynamic stall because the airspeed could not be maintained.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
According to the pilot, during takeoff initial climb, about 90ft AGL, the airplane flew through a flock of canary size birds.
He reported that after the bird strikes, the airplane continued to climb, but the "prop then became unbalanced causing a violent vibration," followed by a steep left bank and then a right bank.
He recalled that the airspeed decreased, and the stall warning horn sounded, and about five seconds later the airplane impacted a body of water adjacent to the airport in a 60° left bank.
Photographs provided by Federal Aviation Administration, Aviation Safety Inspectors showed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage.
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA18CA308