Primary finding
Probable cause
An inflight collision with a bird.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The flight instructor reported that during an instructional flight, a large bird flew into the path of the airplane and his evasive actions were unsuccessful in avoiding the bird. The bird struck the airplane’s left wing. The flight instructor made an uneventful landing following the bird strike. The left-wing leading edge and main spar were substantially damaged during the bird strike. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.