What happened
On December 18, 2019, a Cessna 172P, registration JA3962, was conducting touch-and-go training maneuvers at Ryugasaki Airfield in Ibaraki Prefecture. The flight was operated by New Central Airservice Co., Ltd., with a captain acting as an instructor and a trainee occupying the left seat.
During the second round of touch-and be-go operations, the aircraft departed the runway at approximately 13:48 JST. Immediately following takeoff, a bird emerged from a position diagonally downward and to the left of the aircraft's path. The collision occurred while the aircraft was at an altitude of 50 feet or less and an airspeed of roughly 60 knots. The impact left the crew with no opportunity to perform evasive maneuvers. Following the strike, the captain assumed control of the aircraft and successfully landed back at the airfield four minutes later. There were no fatalities or injuries among the three occupants.
The investigation
The JTSB investigation focused on the physical damage to the airframe and the circumstances surrounding the impact. Investigators examined the left wing of the Cessna 172P and identified substantial structural damage. The impact caused a significant dent in the outer skin of the left wing leading edge, measuring approximately 50 cm in width and 4 cm in depth, which also resulted in the deformation of the internal wing rib.
Furthermore, investigators recovered a dead falcon from the runway, approximately 80 meters ahead of the point of impact. The bird was estimated to be about 50 cm in length and weighed approximately 1 kg. The investigation also reviewed the airfield's bird mitigation protocols, noting that the facility utilizes vehicle horns for bird sweeping when wildlife is spotted near the runway.
Findings
- The primary cause of the structural damage was the collision between the aircraft and a bird immediately following takeoff.
- The timing of the bird's emergence from a low, diagonal position relative to the aircraft's flight path made avoidance impossible for the trainee pilot.