- Date
- September 4, 2002, 14:13 local (22:13 UTC)
- Place
- Manley Hot Spgs, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N40449Piper PA-32R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 18, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA-AL-FAI FSDO 01
- FAA report
- 20020904024119A
- Case key
- 55671
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A bird strike during takeoff, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The commercial certificated pilot was departing a remote airport on an air taxi flight. The pilot reported a flock of geese flew into the path of the airplane. The leading edge of the right wing was struck by one of the birds. The operator replaced a 23-inch-wide section of the right wing leading edge skin, a leading edge rib, and a section of wing top skin.
Factual narrative
On September 4, 2002, about 1413 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Piper PA-32R airplane, N40449, sustained substantial damage when the right wing was struck by a bird during takeoff from Manley Hot Springs, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) scheduled passenger flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated as Flight 2218, by Tanana Air Service, Fairbanks, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot, and the two passengers, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. VFR company flight following procedures were in effect.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on September 5, the director of operations for the operator reported that as the airplane was taking off, a flock of geese flew into the path of the airplane. The leading edge of the right wing was struck by one of the birds. The operator replaced a 23-inch-wide section of the right wing leading edge skin, a leading edge rib, and a section of the wing top skin.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40449
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7780519
- Airframe hours
- 7,097
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540K1A5D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Bidzy Ta Hot Aana Corp., doing business as Tanana Air Service
- Registered owner
- Harold Esmailka
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · August 27, 2002 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- PAML · Manley Hot Spgs, AK
- Destination
- PAFA · Fairbanks, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- PAML · Manley Hot Springs, runway 20, 2,875 × 30 ft, gravel
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- February 26, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,600 total · 2,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.69 inHg
- Observed at
- PAML
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N40449 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.