C182 SUFFERS LARGE BIRD STRIKE THAT PENETRATES WINDSHIELD WITH CARCASS COMING TO REST IN THE BAGGAGE AREA.

Date: 2008-03 · Aircraft: Skylane 182/RG Turbo Skylane/RG

Anomalies: inflight-event-encounter-bird-animal

Synopsis

C182 SUFFERS LARGE BIRD STRIKE THAT PENETRATES WINDSHIELD WITH CARCASS COMING TO REST IN THE BAGGAGE AREA.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING SOLO. WHILE MANEUVERING APPROX 1500 FT AGL; IN A L TURN; I EXPERIENCED A LOUD EXPLOSIVE SOUND WITH MY WINDSHIELD COMING APART. INITIALLY I DID NOT KNOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND DECLARED A MAYDAY WHILE I ASSESSED THE INTEGRITY OF THE AIRPLANE. 2 DIFFERENT ACFT RESPONDED TO MY MAYDAY AND I GAVE MY HOME PHONE NUMBER AND N-NUMBER TO THE FIRST ACFT; STATING THAT I HAD A WINDSHIELD FAILURE; AND I TOLD THE SECOND ACFT THAT I SEEMED TO HAVE THINGS UNDER CTL AND DID NOT NEED FURTHER ASSISTANCE. BTWN THE 2 CONVERSATIONS; I DETERMINED THAT I HAD RECEIVED A BIRD STRIKE THAT PENETRATED THE WINDSHIELD IN FRONT OF THE R PAX SEAT (APPROX 1/2 OF THE WINDSHIELD WAS MISSING); DAMAGED THE ACFT INTERIOR; AND MAY HAVE INJURED MY R ARM (AFTER LNDG I REALIZED THAT I NEEDED ER CARE WHERE I RECEIVED 2 STITCHES IN A LACERATION IN MY R ARM). I WAS ABLE TO CTL THE ACFT; ALTHOUGH I WAS CONCERNED THAT THE PART OF MY WINDSHIELD THAT WAS STILL ATTACHED MIGHT FAIL. ALTHOUGH ARPTS ZZZ1 AND ZZZ2 WERE CLOSER IN DISTANCE; THEY WERE UNCTLED AND WITHOUT FIRE/RESCUE SVCS. I DECIDED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS FLYABLE ENOUGH TO PROCEED TO ZZZ WHICH WAS CTLED AND HAD SVCS. I CONTACTED ZZZ TWR NEAR ZZZ3 AND DECLARED AN EMER. I WAS GIVEN EXCELLENT AND PRIORITY HANDLING BY THE TWR AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. A BUZZARD WAS FOUND IN THE AFT BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT OF THE ACFT; WHERE IT ENDED UP AFTER COMING THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD IN FRONT OF THE R PAX SEAT. THERE WAS EXTENSIVE BLOOD AND BUZZARD PARTS THROUGHOUT THE CABIN. I WAS THANKFUL THAT I DID NOT HAVE A PAX IN THE R SEAT; AS I THINK THEY WOULD HAVE RECEIVED VERY SERIOUS INJURY FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BUZZARD AND EXPLODING WINDSHIELD GLASS.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.