Piper PA-15 accident near Duvall, Washington, August 28, 2010
On August 28, 2010 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-15, registered N4579H, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Duvall, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight collision with a bird while maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 2010 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Duvall, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-15 · all PA-15s on the register
- Registration
- N4579H · registry record · serial 15-353
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that following departure he proceeded to practice maneuvers in the local area. According to the pilot no mechanical malfunctions occurred during flight. After flying about 45 minutes and during a turn, a brown bird suddenly appeared in the upper right corner of the windshield and collided with the airplane. A portion of the windshield broke out and the pilot lost partial control. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and he made a forced landing in an open field. During rollout on uneven terrain the landing gear separated from the fuselage.
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 maneuvering defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on equipment
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 332 hours in all; 79 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 334 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 29, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,590 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 16, 2010; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-145B SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1WA6 Fall City WA at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 1WA6 Fall City WA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
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.
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 WPR10CA434.