- Date
- August 16, 2023, 10:34 local (15:34 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5874JBeech S35
- Defining event
- Enroute: 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
- FAA report
- 20230816011979A
- Case key
- 192928
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 flight instructor and the pilot receiving instruction reported that the airplane struck a bird during initial climb after takeoff. They were able to continue and land uneventfully. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5874J
- Reported as
- Beech S35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-7866
- Built
- 1965
- Airframe hours
- 6,553
- Engine
- Continental IO550B37, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- My Flight LLC
- Registered owner
- My Flight LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 3, 2023
- Airport
- DWH · David Wayne Hooks Meml
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Auto-pilot, ADS-B
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 750 total
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 18
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 72 total · 2 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- KDWH
- METAR
- METAR KDWH 161553Z 10SM CLR 33/16 A3003 RMK AO2 SLP165 T03330156=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 9, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.4 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.