Merritt Island, FL, USA
N487JK
Piper PA28
The solo student pilot reported that, during landing, before initiating the landing flare, he saw a "white bird" heading toward the airplane. He applied left rudder to avoid the bird, and the airplane drifted left of the runway centerline. He then "[pulled] the yoke back," but the left main landing gear impacted a taxiway sign, and the airplane settled on grass adjacent to the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The solo student pilot reported that, during landing, prior to initiating the landing flare, he saw a "white bird" heading towards the airplane. He applied left rudder to avoid the bird, and the airplane drifted left of the runway centerline. He then "[pulled] the yoke back", but the left main landing gear impacted a taxiway sign, and the airplane settled on the adjacent grass. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering to avoid a bird during the landing flare, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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