Piper PA-31-350 accident near Atlanta, Georgia, March 7, 2012
On March 7, 2012 at about 5:45 am local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N4083Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Atlanta, Georgia (Dekalb Peachtree Airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight collision with birds during cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 2012 · about 5:45 am local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Dekalb Peachtree Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N4083Y · no longer on the register · serial 31-8152100
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was in cruise flight at 6,000 feet mean sea level when birds hit the top center section of the windscreen, shattered it, and entered the cockpit. The pilot declared an emergency and requested an instrument flight rules clearance back to his departure airport. The clearance was approved, and the airplane arrived at the departure airport without further incident. Examination of the airplane revealed that the vertical stabilizer received substantial damage.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Birdstrike during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,225 hours in all; 5,625 in this make and model; 280 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 7,900 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 11, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,525 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 7, 2012; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Lycoming TI0-540 -J2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming TI0-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Laboratory CORP Of America Holdings
The flight
- Departed from: PDK Atlanta GA at 5:35 am
- Destination: BHM Birmingham AL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.52 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 am from PDK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.