No fatalities

Biplane Bird Strike During Final Approach

Ferriday, LA, United States

On February 1, 2009, a SCHWEIZER AIRCRAFT CORP G-164B operated by DONS AIR SERVICE INC was involved in an aviation accident near Ferriday, LA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's loss of control following an impact with birds. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

A biplane struck a flock of birds on short final, causing the pilot to be temporarily blinded. A go-around attempt failed, resulting in a runway impact and structural damage.

Accident Description and Sequence of Events During the final approach, a biplane encountered a flock of birds. The collision caused bird residue to penetrate the aircraft's windscreen, striking the pilot in the face. The impact temporarily blinded the pilot, who subsequently attempted a go-around maneuver. However, the aircraft impacted the runway, nosed over, and came to rest in an inverted position. The fuselage sustained structural damage during the accident. ## Operational Context The source material does not provide specific details regarding the aircraft's registration, operator, exact date, or location. The incident is characterized by a bird strike during the short final phase of flight, leading to a loss of visual reference and a failed go-around attempt.

Contributing factors

Causes

Effect on personnel

Other contributing factors

Performance/control parameters — Not attained/maintained