Piper PA23 N976AZ

Summary

On 24 March 2019 at about 18:27 local time, a Piper PA23 registered N976AZ, operated by Mtn Aviation Llc, was involved in an accident near Tampa, Florida, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 March 2019 at 18:27

Classification

Accident

Location

Tampa, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Tampa Intl (TPA)

Coordinates

27.9756, -82.5333

Aircraft

Piper PA23

Registration

N976AZ

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

2

Operator

Mtn Aviation Llc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

West Palm Beach → Tampa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA19CA180

Nobody was injured.

An in-flight collision with a bird during the approach, which resulted in damage to the vertical stabilizer.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the multiengine airplane reported that, on a descending vector for a visual instrument landing system approach on an instrument flight rules flight plan, about 2,500 to 2,800 ft mean sea level, he "felt the aircraft shudder along with a loud bang." He then disengaged the autopilot to determine if the flight controls were affected and looked for damage on the wing and nose area; he saw no damage. The pilot continued to the airport and landed without further incident. During the landing, the pilot of a waiting aircraft reported that he saw damage to the accident airplane's vertical stabilizer that looked like a bird had hit it. During postaccident examination, blood and tissue were found on the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.