October 22, Pierson, Fla. / Cessna 152

At about 1130 eastern time, a Cessna 152 on an instructional flight was substantially damaged following a bird strike and the subsequent emergency landing into a field near Pierson. The flight instructor and student pilot sustained minor injuries. The pilots were practicing ground reference maneuvers at about 1,000 feet when a bird later identified as a Black Vulture collided with and destroyed the windshield. The CFI applied full throttle but could not maintain altitude, so he declared an emergency and secured the engine. The airplane landed nose first, breaking the nose gear and main landing gears, and came to rest inverted.