20050226002279I

Incident

FAA incident report · Gulstm G1159B · Honolulu, HI · February 26, 2005

Date: February 26, 2005 · 14:36 local
Place: Honolulu, HI
Airport: Honolulu International Airport
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: VUCA
Aircraft: N338CL
Reported as: Gulstm G1159B
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Enroute koa, HI to van nuys, CA, at cruise altitude of FL400, right forward windshield cracked-non-impact related. Pilot requested descent, altitude change, and return to Honolulu. Pilot advised negative emergency. No assistance equipment requested. Aircraft landed uneventfully. Upon inspection, mechanics found right forward windshield with crack that appeared to propagate from upper edge vertically to bottom of windshield. Suspect that window heat created local hot spot/arch along upper edge causing window to crack.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ENROUTE KOA, HI TO VAN NUYS, CA, AT CRUISE ALTITUDE OF FL400, RIGHT FORWARD WINDSHIELD CRACKED-NON-IMPACT RELATED. PILOT REQUESTED DESCENT, ALTITUDE CHANGE, AND RETURN TO HONOLULU. PILOT ADVISED NEGATIVE EMERGENCY. NO ASSISTANCE EQUIPMENT REQUESTED. AIRCRAFT LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. UPON INSPECTION, MECHANICS FOUND RIGHT FORWARD WINDSHIELD WITH CRACK THAT APPEARED TO PROPAGATE FROM UPPER EDGE VERTICALLY TO BOTTOM OF WINDSHIELD. SUSPECT THAT WINDOW HEAT CREATED LOCAL HOT SPOT/ARCH ALONG UPPER EDGE CAUSING WINDOW TO CRACK.