A relaxing flight in a small prop plane took a dangerous turn for pilot Robert Weber earlier this week after a bird collided with his windshield.
Weber was flying just outside of Fort Meyers, Fla. on Saturday afternoon, when a bird hit his aircraft's windshield. The plane's front window was instantly blown out, and the bird hit Weber in the face.
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Weber was flying solo at a speed of 170 mph and an altitude of 1,000 feet when the bird struck. Luckily, he was able to make a mayday call, and other pilots in the area helped relay his transmissions to the tower controller.
Weber eventually landed his plane safely, and walked away from the accident with only a scrape. However, the entire pilot-side windshield was shattered, and the window frame sustained major damage.
In an interview with local newspaper News-Press, Weber revealed that he didn't see the bird before impact. “I didn’t even see the bird coming,” he said. “He managed to miss the prop and ended up with me inside the plane. And then he was out.”
Bird collisions aren't uncommon in the aviation world, but they're rarely caught on video. Watch Weber's accident in the clip, above.
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