Piper PA-31-350 N59798

Summary

On 30 June 2011 at about 11:53 local time, a Piper PA-31-350 registered N59798, operated by Fowler Richard L, was involved in an accident near Casper, Wyoming, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 June 2011 at 11:53

Classification

Accident

Location

Casper, Wyoming, United States

Nearest airport

Casper/Natrona County (KCPR)

Coordinates

42.8985, -106.4654

Aircraft

Piper PA-31-350

Registration

N59798

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Fowler Richard L

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Broomfield → Casper

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

WPR11CA299

Nobody was injured.

An in-flight collision with a bird at low altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated he was landing and was approximately 5 to 10 feet from touchdown when a large bird hit and broke the front center windshield of his airplane. With the bird covering his entire windscreen the pilot reacted by quickly moving his body to the right to avoid the bird, which had penetrated the windscreen. Subsequently the airplane's left wing came into contact with the runway surface causing the airplane to nose into the ground, severely damaging the left wing, collapsing the left landing gear, and bending both propellers. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions of failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.