20240822009949I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 525B · Houston, TX · August 22, 2024

Date
August 22, 2024 · 15:30 local
Place
Houston, TX
Airport
William P Hobby
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
VQMA
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N327TX
Reported as
Cessna 525B
Reported engine
Williams FJ44-3A
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other 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.

At 5 miles out, and 3,000 feet altitude, aircraft was cleared to final approach fix royce for rwy 13 right. Aircraft encountered a "large flock of birds" with no time to maneuver. Flight crew reported feeling 3 quick impacts. Flight crew reported the bird strike to approach control and landed at their intended airport. Post flight inspection revealed bird penetration on the right-hand side of the nose just aft of the radome, and on the vertical stabilizer just at or below the horizontal. No impacts observed on or near engines or inlets. Damage to fuselage and tail considered substantial.

As the FAA filed it

AT 5 MILES OUT, AND 3,000 FEET ALTITUDE, AIRCRAFT WAS CLEARED TO FINAL APPROACH FIX ROYCE FOR RWY 13 RIGHT. AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED A "LARGE FLOCK OF BIRDS" WITH NO TIME TO MANEUVER. FLIGHT CREW REPORTED FEELING 3 QUICK IMPACTS. FLIGHT CREW REPORTED THE BIRD STRIKE TO APPROACH CONTROL AND LANDED AT THEIR INTENDED AIRPORT. POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED BIRD PENETRATION ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THE NOSE JUST AFT OF THE RADOME, AND ON THE VERTICAL STABILIZER JUST AT OR BELOW THE HORIZONTAL. NO IMPACTS OBSERVED ON OR NEAR ENGINES OR INLETS. DAMAGE TO FUSELAGE AND TAIL CONSIDERED SUBSTANTIAL.