Cessna 172S accident near Sanford, Florida, January 27, 2007
On January 27, 2007 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N20956, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sanford, Florida. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent inflight collision with a bird resulting in damage to the airplane and the pilot having limited control capability.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 2007 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Sanford, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N20956 · no longer on the register · serial 172S9564
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he departed from Orlando Sanford International Airport, Sanford, Florida, with a new student on a discovery flight. He further stated that after exiting class C airspace, as he initiated a climb, a turkey buzzard impacted the airplane's right wing causing damage. The damage caused the airplane to turn to the right and severely limited his ability to control the airplane. According to the pilot it placed the airplane in a descending right spiral. The pilot recovered the airplane from the spiral and made a forced landing to a nearby field. During the landing the nose wheel dug into the ground and separated bringing the airplane to a stop. According to the pilot, prior to the buzzard impacting the airplane's wing, there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems.
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
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: 930 hours in all; 603 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 778 as pilot in command; 416 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Last flight review: July 1, 2006
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,463 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 1, 2007; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,558 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Falcon Flight Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: SFB Sanford FL at 5:05 pm
- Destination: SFB
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from SFB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.