Piper PA44 accident near Pembroke Pines, Florida, December 21, 2025
On December 21, 2025 at about 3:41 pm local time, a 2002 Piper PA44, registered N156WM, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Pembroke Pines, Florida (North Perry 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 while on approach to the destination airport.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 2025 · about 3:41 pm local time
- Place
- Pembroke Pines, Florida · North Perry · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA44 180, built 2002 · all PA44s on the register
- Registration
- N156WM · registry record · serial 4496156
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and the flight instructor were approaching the destination airport for landing when they noticed a large flock of birds. The flight instructor reported that, while maneuvering to avoid the birds, one of the birds struck the left side of the airplane’s stabilator, substantially damaging it. The pilots subsequently landed the airplane at the destination airport.
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 approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on equipment
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,397 hours in all; 409 in this make and model; 126 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 2,303 as pilot in command; 2,103 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 14, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 278 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 197 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 17, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,922 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 17, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 3,899 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Lycoming O&VO-360 SER (piston); 4,196 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming O&VO-360 SER (piston); 5,003 hours total
- Operator: Fixed Wing Holding Company INC
The flight
- Departed from: HWO Hollywood FL at 2:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KHWO, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KHWO 211553Z VRB03KT 10SM FEW026 SCT036 SCT044 26/20 A3018 RMK AO2 SLP221 T02560200 PWINO $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 14, 2026. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigation Photos | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N156WM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ERA26LA082.