# Incident 20250726010359I: Pilatus Aircraft Ltd PC-24, Wheeling, IL, July 26, 2025

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 26, 2025, 19:13 local time
- Place: Wheeling, IL
- Airport: Chicago Executive
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: OTTA
- Location: 42.1149° N, 87.9020° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CHICAGO EXEC (PWK), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.1149&lon=-87.9020&mi=10
- Aircraft: N224DE, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N224DE) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Pilatus PC-24 (registry code 7090453, https://openairdocs.org/model/pilatus-pc-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Williams FJ44-4A-QPM (registry code 66013, https://openairdocs.org/engine/williams-fj44-4a-qpm) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PILATUS AIRCRAFT LTD PC-24
- Reported engine: WILLIAMS FJ44-4A-QPM
- People aboard: 5
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 8,122 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250726010359I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON 7/26/2025, DURING THE TAKE OFF ROLL, ON RUNWAY 16 AT KPWK, DAY VFR, DRY RUNWAY, THE PILATUS PC-24, REGISTERED AS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STRUCK A FLOCK OF GEESE THAT WERE ON THE GROUND, APPROXIMATELY 2000FT DOWN THE RUNWAY LOCATED ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY ALL WALKING TOWARDS THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE.  PER THE PILOT'S STATEMENT, "DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, THE PNF CALLED 60KTS, PF RESPONDED WITH "CHECK". PNF BRIEFLY LOOKED DOWN TO SCAN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND AS HE LOOKED BACK UP TO THE RUNWAY HEARD PF STATE "BIRDS", THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE NOTICED THE GEESE.  WE DID NOT NOTICE THE GEESE ANY OTHER TIME AND AT THE SAME TIME BOTH PILOTS CALLED FOR AN ABORT, AT APPROXIMATELY 80KTS. RUNWAY 16 HAS A SLIGHT CREST, AND THIS CONTRIBUTED TO NOTICING THE GEESE, AS WELL, THEY WERE ALL WALKING FROM THE GRASS AREA ONTO THE RUNWAY WHEN WE NOTICED THEM. AS THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO DECELERATE THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE ENTIRE FLOCK THAT HAD WALKED ONTO THE RUNWAY.  THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, AND WE INSTRUCTED THE TOWER THAT WE ABORTED DUE TO BIRD STRIKE."  THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAXIED BACK TO THE SIGNATURE RAMP.  NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT INCLUDED A CRACKED NOSE CONE RADOME AND NOSE LANDING GEAR DOOR.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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