- Date
- August 10, 1999, 13:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N89186Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990810011689A
- Case key
- 47027
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 inadvertent collision with a bird.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot had been cleared to enter the class B airspace surrounding the Salt Lake City International Airport, and was southbound over Interstate Highway 15 at 5,500 feet mean sea level. When he was about 3 miles northeast of the airport, he noticed an eagle soaring at his altitude and at his 1 o'clock position. As the eagle drew closer, the pilot made an evasive turn to the left, but the eagle struck the right wing about 18 inches inboard of the wing tip. The airplane landed on runway 32 without further incident. Postaccident inspection by an FAA airworthiness inspector disclosed wing spar damage.
Factual narrative
On August 10, 1999, approximately 1300 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 152, N89186, owned and operated by Buzzard Air, Inc., was substantially damaged when it collided with a bird while on landing approach at Salt Lake City, Utah. The airline transport rated pilot, the sole occupant aboard, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the aerial observation flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated at Bountiful, Utah, approximately 1255.
According to the pilot's accident report, he had been cleared to enter the class B airspace surrounding Salt Lake City International Airport, and was southbound over Interstate Highway 15 at 5,500 feet msl (mean sea level). When he was about 3 miles northeast of the airport, he noticed an eagle soaring at his altitude and at his 1 o'clock position. As the eagle drew closer, the pilot made an evasive turn to the left, but the eagle struck the right wing about 18 inches inboard of the wing tip. The airplane landed on runway 32 without further incident. Postaccident inspection by an FAA airworthiness inspector disclosed wing spar damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89186
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282665
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Buzzard Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- BTF · Bountiful, UT
- Destination
- SLC
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
- 39
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,100 total · 300 in this make and model · 1,950 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 19 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SLC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.