Cessna 172 accident near Smyrna, Tennessee, February 5, 2024
On February 5, 2024 at about 11:28 pm local time, a 2003 Cessna 172, registered N2150G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Smyrna, Tennessee (Smyrna airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight collision with a bird during initial climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 5, 2024 · about 11:28 pm local time
- Place
- Smyrna, Tennessee · Smyrna · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S, built 2003 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N2150G · registry record · serial 172S9516
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that during the initial climb, he observed a bird dive down from above the airplane. The bird impacted the top portion of the windshield, resulting in substantial damage to the windshield. After the impact, the pilots checked themselves for injuries and for any control issues with the airplane. Both pilots were uninjured, and the airplane operated normally. The flight instructor landed the airplane without further incident.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA24LA106.