What happened
On 23 March 1998, a Piper PA-38-112, registration G-BGBW, was conducting a private training flight at Nottingham Airport. The aircraft was being operated by an instructor and a student pilot performing visual circuits as part of PPL training. While flying the base leg at approximately 800 feet agl and a speed of 95 kt, the crew observed a wood pigeon crossing their path from left to right.
Shortly after this sighting, the bird impacted the upper section of the windscreen. The impact caused the windscreen to shatter immediately, leaving large, jagged fragments of perspex attached to the frame. Fearing that a large piece of the windscreen might detach and strike the occupants, the instructor took control of the aircraft and instructed the student to hold the loose fragment in place.
Following the incident, a MAYDAY call was broadcast. The aircraft was brought to the ground safely at Nottingham Airport approximately one minute after the strike, with no injuries reported to the crew.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft following the landing and determined that the bird had not struck the propeller. The examination revealed that two large pieces of perspex had moved through the cockpit area, passing between the instructor and the student, before coming to rest in the rear baggage compartment.
Findings
- The primary cause of the windscreen failure was the impact of a wood pigeon against the upper windscreen.
- The impact resulted in the immediate breakage of the perspex and left jagged fragments precariously attached to the airframe.
- Under the applicable British Civil Airworthiness Requirements (CAP 467 Section K), light aircraft with a maximum weight below 2,730 kg are not required to have windscreens capable of withstanding bird impacts, unless they are classified as agricultural aircraft.