The pilot reported that, during approach, he observed a bird flying nearby and then heard a “thump” and felt an impact above his head.
He landed the Cessna 560 at the airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma, without further incident.
Postaccident examination revealed that a bird hit the airplane’s vertical stabilizer, which sustained substantial damage.
Probable cause: The airplane’s collision with a bird during approach.
NTSB Identification: GAA18CA435
This July 2018 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Immediately below the article about accident GAA18CA435 is one of the usual “Related Stories”. Topic: “Improper use of flaps by 172 pilot”
Thinking there must be a conspiracy amongst the flock of birds, what could be a better diversion from the ‘facts’ than a related “Improper use of flaps by… pilot” story? It’s obvious now that the birds conspired with the crew andsacrificed one of their own because someone must have used flaps improperly (or didn’t use flaps improperly) on approach to land. To confirm this obvious theory I, of course, went immediately to the NTSB Docket… No surprise, conspiracy confirmed! Despite the NTSB’s commitment to truth and the full story, and despite the pilot admitting he “saw a bird” immediately prior to it impacting his aircraft (photo graphic evidence provided in the Docket), the bird species was omitted from the report, and the NTSB failed to do a TOX analysis of the blood left as additional physical evidence to determine whether it was truly avian. What IF it was REALLY a C172 (or a ‘bird’ woman! masquerading as a C172)? The plot thickens as we see what appears to be a terrorist attack on and innocent Bizjet, a coverup by someone or something. Thank you, THANK YOU GANews for publishing proof of this conspiracy. Clearly, misdirection and obsfuscationt was the “right thing to do”. 🙂
What???