CIRRUS SR22 PLT HAS A BIRD STRIKE; DECLARES EMER AND LANDS.

Narrative

SHORTLY AFTER DEP ON A DAY VFR FLT; THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A LARGE TURKEY VULTURE. WHEN THE STRIKE OCCURRED WE WERE CLBING THROUGH APPROX 2000 FT AND WERE TURNING FROM A HDG OF 210 DEGS TO A HDG OF 230 DEGS. THE TWR CTLR HAD JUST REQUESTED THAT WE CONTACT DEP. AS I WAS SWITCHING FREQS I SAW A PAIR OF VULTURES PASS IN FRONT OF AND VERY CLOSE TO THE AIRPLANE. AS THEY PASSED TO THE L; ONE OF THE VULTURES HIT THE OUTER PORTION OF THE L WING. THE STRIKE TORE OPEN THE OUTER PART OF THE WING AND LEFT PART OF THE WINGTIP PANEL FLAPPING IN THE WIND. RATHER THAN SWITCHING TO DEP CTL; I REMAINED ON TWR FREQ; ADVISED THAT I HAD STRUCK A BIRD; HAD SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE WING; AND WAS DECLARING AN EMER. I REQUESTED AN IMMEDIATE RETURN TO THE ARPT. TWR ADVISED THAT I WAS CLRED FOR ANY APCH TO ANY RWY. AS I WAS AT THE TIME JUST SE OF THE FIELD; I MADE A R TURN TO A HDG OF 350 DEGS AND ENTERED A R DOWNWIND. THE ACFT APPEARED TO BE STABLE AND CTLABLE; SO I ADVISED TWR THAT I COULD MAKE A NORMAL VISUAL APCH. THE AIRPLANE REQUIRED FAIRLY HVY CTL INPUTS TO COUNTER A STRONG YAW TO THE L CAUSED BY THE ADDED DRAG OF THE BROKEN WINGTIP. ON SHORT FINAL I NOTICED THAT MY AIRSPD INDICATIONS WERE ALL WRONG. I SURMISED THAT THE PITOT TUBE HAD EITHER BEEN DAMAGED OR WAS BEING OBSTRUCTED BY BROKEN PARTS OF THE WING. IGNORING THE AIRSPD INDICATIONS; I CONTINUED THE APCH WITH A PWR SETTING THAT I KNEW WOULD PROVIDE A SAFE LNDG SPD. WE TOUCHED DOWN WITHOUT INCIDENT. ARPT CFR PERSONNEL VISUALLY INSPECTED THE AIRPLANE FOR FUEL LEAKS AND; FINDING NONE; WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI BACK TO PARKING. WITH HINDSIGHT; THE DAMAGE TO THE WING WAS NOT AS EXTENSIVE AS IT HAD APPEARED FROM THE AIR; BUT THE DAMAGE WAS SUBSTANTIAL NONETHELESS. I THINK I MADE THE RIGHT DECISION TO DECLARE AN EMER AND TO RETURN IMMEDIATELY TO THE ARPT.