I Learned About Flying From That

Walter F. Davis

Sunday, January 14, 2007 at 10:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A test pilot flying an experimental aircraft experienced a sudden and severe bird strike when a large turkey vulture crashed through the right side of his windscreen and into the cockpit.
The incident resulted in immediate loss of throttle control and scattering of debris, but the pilot remained uninjured and maintained control of the aircraft.
Demonstrating impressive resourcefulness, the pilot improvised using the mixture control to regulate engine power, enabling him to make a successful emergency landing despite the damage.
The experience highlighted the critical importance of increased vigilance at low altitudes, especially around airports, due to the prevalence of large birds like vultures.

See a mistake? Contact us.

On the afternoon of September 3, 1996, I had just taken off from the Mineral Wells, Texas, airport where I worked as a test pilot for an autopilot manufacturer. The aircraft I was flying was an Experimental Lancair (N353RD), and I was conducting a test on an S-Tec 50 autopilot. Another pilot was supposed to have gone with me on this flight, but his weight would have adversely affected the aircraft’s center of gravity and I was doing a CG sensitive test. He would later thank me for not taking him along.

After takeoff on Runway 17, I turned southwest toward the neck of the woods where my wife and I live, approximately seven miles from the airport. I liked to fly over our house at 500-feet agl and look at the property, and my wife was usually home so she could get a glimpse of what I was flying that particular day.