- Date
- October 11, 2004, 09:19 local (17:19 UTC)
- Place
- Chefornak, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5277JCessna 207
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 24, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20041011032309A
- Case key
- 60332
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
The in-flight collision with a bird while on final approach to land.
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 scheduled commuter airline flight was on short final approach to land when a large bird collided with and penetrated the windshield. No one aboard was injured, and the commercial pilot was able to make an uneventful landing. The damage from the bird strike required the windshield to be replaced.
Factual narrative
On October 11, 2004, about 0919 Alaska daylight time, a wheel-equipped Cessna 207 airplane, N5277J, operated by Hageland Aviation Services under Title 14, CFR Part 135 as scheduled commuter Flight 63, sustained substantial damage when it struck a bird while on final approach to land at the Chefornak airport, Chefornak, Alaska. The commercial pilot and two passengers were not injured. The flight departed Kipnuk, Alaska, about 0900, and was en route to Chefornak. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan was in effect.
During a telephone conversation with the operator's director of operations on October 14, he related that the accident pilot reported that a large bird, possibly a Ptarmigan, struck and penetrated the airplane's windshield. The pilot was able to continue the landing approach, and made an uneventful landing. The director of operations reported that due to the bird strike, the windshield had to be replaced.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5277J
- Reported as
- Cessna 207
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20700772
- Engine
- Continental IO-520, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Hageland Aviation
- Registered owner
- Gussic Ventures
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KPN · Kipnuk, AK
- Destination
- Chefornak, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 7,295 total · 4,500 in this make and model · 7,295 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.