- Date
- May 25, 2023, 12:24 local (18:24 UTC)
- Place
- Windsor, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N443LMNanchang CJ6
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Denver FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230525006889A
- Case key
- 192240
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 inflight collision with a bird while on initial climb.
Findings · 2
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
While on initial climb, a bird impacted the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer. The leading edge of the stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The airplane was controllable, and the pilot executed an uneventful landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N443LM
- Reported as
- Nanchang CJ6 (A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3151214
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 3,199.9
- Engine
- Vedeneyev M14P, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hayne Stephen C
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · November 4, 2022
- Departed
- FNL · Fort Collins, CO
- Airport
- FNL
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Handheld GPS, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator
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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- June 28, 2022
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 1,467 total · 295 in this make and model · 15 in the last 90 days · 3.5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KFNL, 3 nm away
- METAR
- KFNL 251856Z 11010KT 10SM CLR 24/11 A3000 RMK AO2 SLP107 T02390111
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 7, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.