ATL95LA152

While in cruise flight over marshy terrain, the center portion of the aircraft's windshield imploded, forcing open the cabin door. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and could not glide to dry land, therefore he elected to force land in the salt marsh. During the Landing roll, the aircraft nosed over. According to the passengers, when they boarded the airplane they noted that the windscreen was cracked. However, the crack was adjacent to a door post, not the center of the windscreen. Initially, the pilot believed that the airplane had been struck by a bird. Postaccident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of a bird strike. A similar windscreen implosion occurrence, involving the same make and model airplane, was located in the FAA's Service Difficulty Reports. The report stated that during level flight the upper half of the windshield broke away, first inward, then the pilot pushed it outward. Aircraft control was affected, and a forced landing was accomplished, without causing substantial damage.

On August 11, 1995, at 1610 eastern daylight time, an Aero Commander 100-180, N4066X, nosed over in a marsh during an emergency landing eight miles southwest of Mitchell Field on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. The on-demand air taxi flight operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 135, with a visual flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The commercial pilot and two passengers received minor injuries; the third passenger received serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The revenue flight departed Greenville, North Carolina, at 1500 hours.

The pilot reported that about eight miles southwest of the destination airport, the center portion of the pilot's windshield separated from the airplane, spraying glass into the cockpit,and forcing open the right door. He was unable to maintain altitude, and initiated a forced landing to the marshy terrain that was below the flight path. The airplane touched down in the marsh, and nosed over.

Two of the passengers stated that prior to enplaning the aircraft, they noticed what appeared to be a crack in the windshield adjacent to the door post. The FAA inspector's report stated that there no indication of a bird strike was found,(ie. no feathers, blood or entrails in the windshield cavity, cockpit area, or glare shield), and that the crack in the windshield was insignificant in regards to the imploded windscreen.

Service Difficulty Report Data were obtained from the FAA. One other occurrence of a windshield implosion was found in the data. It reported that during level flight the upper half of the windshield broke away, first inward, then the pilot pushed the windshield outward. Aircraft control was affected, according to the report, and the pilot made an unscheduled landing.