What happened
During a routine crop spraying operation, an aircraft was operating at a low altitude when it encountered a bird. The bird was ingested into the engine air intake, which immediately triggered a loss of power in the engine. Following this mechanical failure, the aircraft could no longer maintain its flight path and descended rapidly into a field.
The impact resulted in two injuries among the occupants. While the crew survived the incident, the aircraft sustained damage that rendered it a total loss.
Findings
- The primary factor in the accident was a bird strike involving the engine's air intake.
- The ingestion of the bird led directly to the subsequent engine power loss and the uncontrolled descent.