- Date
- December 5, 2012, 18:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- New York, NY
- Injuries
- 53 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N411ZWBombardier CL-600-2B19
- Defining event
- Approach: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report February 26, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Case key
- 86417
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 inadvertant birdstrike on approach.
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
On December 5, 2012, at approximately 1800 eastern standard time, a Bombardier CRJ200 operated by Air Wisconsin as USAirways Express flight 3852, experienced a bird strike while descending through 7,000 feet on approach to the New York LaGuardia Airport, New York. The bird strike occured about 30 miles southwest of the airport, at an airspeed of 200 knots. The crew continued the approach and made a normal landing. Weather at the time of the event was night visual conditions. There were no injuries to the 3 crewmembers or 50 passengers. Structural damage was found on skin panels, bulkheads, stringers, frames, nose landing gear support structure, ADG enclosure, leading edges, and piccolo ducts. The forward pressure bulkhead was dented, deformed, and punctured in several areas, affecting the structural strength of the bulkhead and require major repair or replacement, thereby qualifying as substantial damage. The species of bird was identified as Snow Goose by the Smithsonian Institution bird hazard laboratory.
Factual narrative
On December 5, 2012, at approximately 1800 eastern standard time, a Bombardier CRJ200 operated by Air Wisconsin as USAirways Express flight 3852, experienced a bird strike while descending through 7,000 feet on approach to the New York LaGuardia Airport, New York. The bird strike occured about 30 miles southwest of the airport, at an airspeed of 200 knots. The crew continued the approach and made a normal landing. Weather at the time of the event was night visual conditions. There were no injuries to the 3 crewmembers or 50 passengers.Structural damage was found on skin panels, bulkheads, stringers, frames, nose landing gear support structure, ADG enclosure, leading edges, and piccolo ducts. The forward pressure bulkhead was dented, deformed, and punctured in several areas, affecting the structural strength of the bulkhead and require major repair or replacement, thereby qualifying as substantial damage. The species of bird was identified as Snow Goose by the Smithsonian Institution bird hazard laboratory.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N411ZW
- Reported as
- Bombardier CL-600-2B19
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7569
- Airframe hours
- 26,288
- Engines
- GE CF34 SERIES, 9,140 lbs thrust, turbo fanGE CF34 SERIES, 9,140 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Air Wisconsin, doing business as US Airways Express
- Registered owner
- US Bank Na Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- PHL · Philadelphia, PA
- Destination
- KLGA · New York, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KLGA · LaGuardia
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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 17,899 total · 4,811 in this make and model
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,209 total · 287 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Observed at
- KLGA
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 31, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 MB in all.