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During agricultural application, low altitude, aircraft hit birds and when reporter pilot ducked from birds contacting the cockpit, hit a wire which damaged the wingtip.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 331295 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199603 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : mco |
| State Reference | FL |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 50 agl bound upper : 50 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | PA-36 Pawnee Brave |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | other |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : cfi pilot : instrument pilot : commercial |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 39000 flight time type : 1500 |
| ASRS Report | 331295 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : airborne less severe inflight encounter other non adherence : far other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
Narrative:
I was engaged in aerial application of pesticides. I had just finished spraying a field and made 1 cleanup pass across an end when on pull-up I encountered numerous bird strikes with small to medium size black birds. I took several hard hits on and near the windshield and ducked my head down and to the left, all the while continuing to climb. When I looked back outside I saw the left wingtip cap shattered and returned to our airport without incident. 5 days later I learned that there was also an apparent wire strike. There was no damage to the aircraft other than the fiberglas tip cap but the potential for far more serious consequences is obvious.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: DURING AGRICULTURAL APPLICATION, LOW ALT, ACFT HIT BIRDS AND WHEN RPTR PLT DUCKED FROM BIRDS CONTACTING THE COCKPIT, HIT A WIRE WHICH DAMAGED THE WINGTIP.
Narrative: I WAS ENGAGED IN AERIAL APPLICATION OF PESTICIDES. I HAD JUST FINISHED SPRAYING A FIELD AND MADE 1 CLEANUP PASS ACROSS AN END WHEN ON PULL-UP I ENCOUNTERED NUMEROUS BIRD STRIKES WITH SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZE BLACK BIRDS. I TOOK SEVERAL HARD HITS ON AND NEAR THE WINDSHIELD AND DUCKED MY HEAD DOWN AND TO THE L, ALL THE WHILE CONTINUING TO CLB. WHEN I LOOKED BACK OUTSIDE I SAW THE L WINGTIP CAP SHATTERED AND RETURNED TO OUR ARPT WITHOUT INCIDENT. 5 DAYS LATER I LEARNED THAT THERE WAS ALSO AN APPARENT WIRE STRIKE. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT OTHER THAN THE FIBERGLAS TIP CAP BUT THE POTENTIAL FOR FAR MORE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES IS OBVIOUS.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.