Bird Strike Incident at Seville Airport Involving a Cessna C-172N (EC-HQR)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On Sunday, June 26, 2005, at 12:18 local time, a Cessna C-172N with registration EC-HQR, operated by Aerotec, experienced a bird strike at Seville Airport (LEZL). The aircraft was powered by a single Lycoming O-320-HZAD engine. The pilot in command was a 20-year-old student pilot with 33 hours and 24 minutes of total flight experience, all of which were on the same aircraft type. The flight was a general aviation solo training exercise. ## Sequence of Events During the second landing of the training session, the aircraft was at approximately 1,000 feet and turning right to join the downwind leg of the runway 27 circuit. The pilot observed two large birds flying on an ascending path to the right. While attempting to avoid them, the second bird struck the tip of the right wing. The pilot reported a strong impact, followed by a drag and lift effect on the right wing, but maintained control of the aircraft and completed the landing without further incident. The pilot was uninjured, and the aircraft sustained minor damage. ## Meteorological Conditions The pilot reported wind from 240 degrees at 4 knots, good visibility, scattered clouds covering 1/8 to 4/8 of the sky, and a temperature of 24 degrees Celsius. ## Bird Identification and Investigation A complete feather recovered from the aircraft was sent to the Institute for Research on Game Resources (IREC). The institute identified the feather as belonging to a young black vulture in dispersal. The report noted that the dispersal movements of these birds are largely erratic, making it difficult to predict future aviation risks in the Seville area from this species. Black vultures typically occupy limited territories and are often seen alone, in pairs, or in very small groups. Young individuals disperse, sometimes shortly after leaving the nest, and immature black vultures move far from their birthplace to areas with abundant food, such as the Guadalquivir marshes, where their population increases notably in autumn. The investigation concluded that the bird was not in migration or from a nearby breeding colony, which would have posed a permanent collision risk in the area. ## Conclusions The incident was classified as an isolated event, with the bird's presence in the area not attributable to migratory patterns or nearby breeding colonies. After the impact, the pilot verified control of the aircraft and executed a normal landing.