Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 182N near Paradis, LA — 2013-12-29

Final reportCEN14CA095
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Date
2013-12-29
Location
Paradis, LA, USA
Airport
MSY
Aircraft
CESSNA 182N
Registration
N491CC
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The collision with a bird which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was flying over a bayou canal when a large bird contacted the leading edge of the right wing. He stated he immediately felt a vibration in the control yoke, and had to apply left aileron and left rudder to keep the airplane from rolling to the right. The pilot assessed the aircraft's control capability and decided to return to his departure airport. As he approached the airport, the pilot extended 10 degrees of flaps and slowed the airspeed to 120 mph, still applying left aileron and rudder. While on final approach, as the airspeed reached 90 to 100 mph, the right wing dropped and the airplane rolled between 45 and 90 degrees to the right. The pilot added full power, retracted the flaps, and applied full left aileron and left rudder. The airplane descended to an altitude of 100 feet before the pilot was able to level the wings and begin a climb. The pilot decided to land at the larger nearby airport so that he would have a longer runway and could land at a higher than normal airspeed. The pilot landed the airplane without further incident. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the airplane sustained substantial damage to the leading edge of the right wing.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen to land at LS40 instead of attempting to control the aircraft.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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