20070929829729I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Boeing 73776N · Philadelphia, PA · September 29, 2007

Date: September 29, 2007 · 11:10 local
Place: Philadelphia, PA
Airport: Philadelphia International
Phase of flight: Climb
Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator: ZZDA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N149AT
Reported as: Boeing 73776N
People aboard: 138
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) Airtran flt 47 took off from phl on runway 27L, was climbing out at approximately 3500-3800 feet when the aircraft was struck by a flock of geese. Substantial damage to fo window (R1). Captain declared an emergency and returned to phl for visual approach to runway 27L. The aircraft taxied to the gate without further incident. At the gate it was determined that the radome had also been struck and was damaged.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRTRAN FLT 47 TOOK OFF FROM PHL ON RUNWAY 27L, WAS CLIMBING OUT AT APPROXIMATELY 3500-3800 FEET WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS STRUCK BY A FLOCK OF GEESE. SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO FO WINDOW (R1). CAPTAIN DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND RETURNED TO PHL FOR VISUAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 27L. THE AIRCRAFT TAXIED TO THE GATE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AT THE GATE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE RADOME HAD ALSO BEEN STRUCK AND WAS DAMAGED.