- Date
- October 7, 2009, 19:15 local (Oct 8, 2009, 03:15 UTC)
- Place
- Homer, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7138QCessna U206F
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report April 19, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration (Operations)
- Case key
- 74905
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
An in-flight collision with a bird.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The commercial pilot reported that after departing on a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal cross-country flight, he heard a thump, and he elected to return to his departure airport to investigate. A postflight inspection revealed damage to the airplane’s outboard portion of the right wing, with bird feathers and blood imbedded in the leading edge. A subsequent maintenance examination revealed structural damage to the airplane’s right wing spar. The pilot indicated there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The commercial pilot reported that after departing on a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal cross-country flight, he heard a thump, and he elected to return to his departure airport to investigate. A postflight inspection revealed damage to the airplane’s outboard portion of the right wing, with bird feathers and blood imbedded in the leading edge. A subsequent maintenance examination revealed structural damage to the airplane’s right wing spar. The pilot indicated there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7138Q
- Reported as
- Cessna U206F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U20603074
- Airframe hours
- 13,354
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James Christensen
- Registered owner
- Meridian Aviation Services LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 25, 2009 · 57 hours before
- Departed
- PAHO · Homer, AK
- Destination
- AK07 · Nanwalek, AK
- Flight plan
- Company 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
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,743 total · 3,317 in this make and model · 100 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 11, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 MB in all.
Other investigations on N7138Q · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.