The pilot reported that some birds moved over the runway when he was about to land the airplane. He applied full power and retracted the flaps to initiate a go-around procedure; however, the airplane touched down and departed the left side of the runway. The nose and both wings impacted the grass before the airplane came to rest upright.The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings.

The student pilot, who also held a commercial pilot certificate in rotorcraft, reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.