Bird or bug strike?

During a night currency/proficiency flight last night (10 pm) I hit something about 3200' MSL (2200AGL) and 130ish knts. A 2 part thunk that made me think I lost a piece of my new cowling or a wheel pant. I was less than 10 miles out from a planned stop & go so I continued inbound for a full stop, the airplane behaved normally and temps were all in range so I began to suspect I hit a bird or very large bug. I landed and taxied under a hangar security light and found the problem, luckily no damage I could find from the main impact on the front of the cowling or the secondary impact on the scoop. No evidence of it hitting the prop at all.
I'm thinking it was a bird due to the wider impact area and blood but no feathers either.



It almost looks like blood on one side by my thumb and bird poop on the other by my index finger.

Could be a bat Andy.

Vlad said:

Could be a bat Andy.

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Yes, a bat makes a lot of sense as I was over downtown KC with a lot of abandoned buildings etc. Google says the "big brown bat" commonly found in Ks is about 4-5 inches long by 1.5-2.5 inches and weighs .5-.8 oz which seems to match the spatter pretty well. I'll check again but the blood seemed to be mixed with what looked like down, perhaps I can get a sample.

Ever hit a butterfly with a motorcycle helmet? That's nothing!

Riding along, this is nice, this is enjoyable, life is good...ORANGE! Nothing but sudden orange. Put my head back a bit too.

I'd place my chips on it being either a bat or a big arse bug of some sort. Birds generally don't fly at night unless flushed from the roost. And surely not at 3200'. Other than the mess, glad to see there was no damage!

The impaler...

Of course a guy named Vlad would suggest a bat....
Just sayin'...

Maybe one of those Texas bugs got lost and ended up in KS. - cicada, June bug, palmetto. They're big in Texas.

PilotRPI said:

Ever hit a butterfly with a motorcycle helmet? That's nothing!

Riding along, this is nice, this is enjoyable, life is good...ORANGE! Nothing but sudden orange. Put my head back a bit too.

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Or a dragon fly in a t shirt! Going speed limit not so much

There was a North Memorial EMS helicopter that had a duck come thru the windshield on a night flight. The decision was made to fly with the landing lights on for all night flights. They were having so many near misses with winged creatures that scare the heck out of the pilots as they pass thru the light that they decided to go back to leaving the landing lights off.

My vote is also bat.

Here's a couple pics of routine bat strikes experienced while landing the whale at night in Kano, Nigeria during hajj 2011. Look a lot like the smear you got. Woody

Infidel said:

I'd place my chips on it being either a bat or a big arse bug of some sort. Birds generally don't fly at night unless flushed from the roost. And surely not at 3200'. Other than the mess, glad to see there was no damage!

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i got to disagree with that, i hit one at night at 12,000 feet and caved in the entire radome. its is not common, but does happen.

bob burns
RV-4 N82RB