Probable cause
The pilot’s abrupt maneuver to avoid birds during short final approach, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing.
NTSB analysis
The pilot reported that, during approach, he pushed the yoke forward to avoid a flock of birds in his flightpath, which resulted in an "increased and abnormal rate of descent." He was then unable to arrest the descent, and the "main landing gear made very hard contact with the runway." The airplane bounced, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest nose down.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall.
The Federal Aviation Administration Airport Facility Diagram page for the destination airport in part states: "Birds on and invof [in vicinity of] arpt."
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA17CA162 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Feb 24, 2017
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Linden, New Jersey
- Nearest airport
- Linden (LDJ)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Night
Cessna T337
- N-number
- N685V
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1976
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.